Memories Erased: Yugi's Unwilling Betrayal
by Kaimei Tenshi
Summary: Yugi has always been there to protect Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda. But when he is viciously attacked and on his deathbed, who will avenge him? Will he even live to see his friends again? And if he does...what if he can't remember them...? Rating raised
1. When Those You Love Threaten To Leave Yo

**Disclaimer:** "Please...don't take them!" I shout. They think that just because they don't belong to me, I can't love them... They will never know how much I care... "I'll get you back!" I shout at their backs. They won't get away with this...

**Chapter 1: When Those You Love Threaten To Leave You**

_"Yugi…you saved me once, long ago, and still do so, to this day… What if…what if I'm unable to return the favor…?"_

Yugi lie on the bed, silent and still; his normally bright and shining amethyst eyes were half-closed and blankly staring at the ceiling above them, with no sign of the warm light they had previously withheld. The welcoming smile that was always visible on his kind and loving face had disappeared; instead, his face was expressionless, showing no signs of life, even though he was staring directly at the faces which often brought him the most happiness. But they, too, had seemed to lose all thoughts and signs of happiness.

Yugi's three friends and closest companions had gathered themselves around his bed. Each of them looked down on their caring friend with deepest remorse, their eyes tracing the wires that ran around Yugi's body to the machines whirring by his bedside. They silently watched as the IV steadily pumped medicine into his limp and weakened form, while the heart monitor beeped occasionally, as if trying to remind everyone of its presence.

Yugi was wearing what he always did-- an ordinary school uniform. Tight blue pants, held by a black belt with a gold buckle accompanieda blue blazer, only half-zipped, with a black undershirt. His black shoes and socks had been removed, and were lying by Yugi's bed. Ordinarily, he wore a few pieces of jewelry, but today, his jewelry had been removed, and was lying on a table by his bed. They included thick black bracelets, a thick black leather choker he always wore around his neck, and a card-holder strap he kept around his waist. The only piece of jewelry that remained with Yugi was the Millennium Puzzle.

It was an ancient Egyptian artifact, the Millennium Puzzle, one that Yugi's grandfather had given to him many years ago. The Puzzle was golden, and in the shape of a pyramid, only, upside-down, with a large eye in the center of it. It was only a bit larger than Yugi's fists, and on the top was a loop, where Yugi had hooked a thick chain to it and wore it as a necklace. Although it seemed worthless, it was Yugi's most prized possession, and Yugi's three friends had fought the nurses so it could stay next to Yugi. They had prevailed, and it rested by Yugi's pillow, near his head.

Normally, Yugi was very well-kept. But, today was another story. His tight blue pants were burnt and torn at the ends, revealing his bare ankles, and the scratches and bruises underneath. Various rips were apparent all the way up both of Yugi's pant-legs, his belt was undone and hanging loosely through the belt loops, and his blue blazer was thrown open. His black undershirt was pulled up to his arms, revealing his bruises and his bare stomach. His blue blazer was also burnt around the edges, and even if it hasn't been thrown open, Yugi's stomach would still have been showing. The sleeves of Yugi's blazer were also burnt, all the way up to the elbows, where stray lengths of thread still hung down and lie lazily on the bed. His collar was ripped and burnt, and the skin underneath was bandaged and bleeding.

Yugi's friends, still keeping an eye on their hurt companion, ran their eyes over the various cuts and bruises that were visible all over Yugi's body There was a large gash across Yugi's chest, covered with a still damp (and now bright red) cloth ,where one of the harshest attacks had occurred. It still seemed to be bleeding freely. Bruises were apparent on Yugi's arms, having been pummeled very recently. His legs were cut, and in his last moments of consciousness, had been unable to support him. But…perhaps, the worst thing was the bruise just under the large gash. It covered most of Yugi's stomach, and stretched around to his sides. That one seemed to be the most painful.

_"Maybe he wouldn't look this bad if I had been there for him…" _Jounouchi thought.

* * *

Katsuya Jounouchi, one of the three youths that had accompanied Yugi to the hospital, stared into the bruised and cut face of his friend, his eyes pink and damp. Jounouchi always tried to be a tough guy, and he had tried to keep his composure, even though knew it was in vain. He had tried to be strong, and tried not to show any signs weakness, especially cry, but…this was just too much. He kept replaying the scenes in his mind, watching Yugi fall over and over again. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw Yugi, telling Jounouchi that he didn't need any help, just before he was attacked. His guilt overpowered him, made it hard to focus on anything, to even think clearly. He bit his knuckle to try to dull his heartache, to try to dull his memory, to try to dull his guilt…he bit it until it bled, but it did no good. The only thing it brought was more pain, if that was even possible. He lifted his fist to punch the wall, but found that he just didn't have the strength. He didn't think he would have the strength to do much of anything anymore. 

_"It's all my fault…" _came a strong baritone voice. Jounouchi turned his head, his attention grasped, and stared at the empty space to the right of him. He didn't _see_ anything really, it was just…a feeling. _No_, Jounouchi thought, correcting himself_. It was more like… a sense. Still…it seemed so familiar… _Jounouchi wanted to think a bit more, to try to figure out what had happened. But…he just couldn't concentrate. He lowered his head again, and continued to stare at Yugi, the mysterious strangers voice never returning to his mind. Soon, his hand found his way to his mouth again, and he found himself biting into it again. Willingly, he began to draw blood from the wound, slowly at first, painfully extracting his blood as if it was a poison, feeling the addictive essence on his lips, slowly allowing it to slide down his throat. He found that he couldn't stop. When he felt the pain, his mind stopped, erased all of his memories, allowed him to forget that it was his fault Yugi was like this. He closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure of pain, when suddenly-

"_Jounouchi…please don't do that. It's only making things worse and…and Aibou wouldn't like it."_

_It's that voice again…!_ Jounouchi turned his head, fully expecting to see someone standing right next to him. Instead, he saw only the empty space yet again. He looked at his hand, and saw that the cut on his hand had begun to bleed freely, slowly overtaking the rest of his fingers. _What was I doing…?_ he wondered. _Well…I'm glad I stopped, I guess. I can't forget about it…Yugi needs me. I need to remember…for his sake. _He lowered his head, new tears forming at the edges of his light hazel eyes. _No…I've go to be strong…!_ He couldn't help it, and soon his cheeks were stained with tears. Still, desperately, Jounouchi tried to deny the truth that was staring him in the face-- Yugi Mutou was dying.

* * *

Beside him, Hiroto Honda, another one of Yugi's friends, was trying to do the same thing. He was standing, leaning against the wall, tears running freely down his cheeks. _Please don't leave us, Yugi… We've all had suchgood timeswith you, even though we nearly got ourselves killed in the process. But we now have so many great memories… Thank you, Yugi. _

"_I remember when you first found me, Aibou…"_

Honda quickly turned his head to both sides, quizzically staring at Jounouchi and Anzu. _That didn't sound like either of them, _thought Honda. _Still, that voice…it seemed…familiar, somehow. I just can't put my finger on it…_ He shook his head, forcing the voice out of his mind. His head hurt when he thought too much, had to keep it simple. He looked down at Yugi, reminiscing about him (the deep voice having triggered a string of memories in Honda's mind), remembering all the times Yugi had rescued him, had rescued all of them….he wished he could go back to those times.

_I didn't like Yugi at first,_ he remembered. Looking back on it, he felt guilty about treating Yugi so badly. But Yugi had never acted the same towards him, and had always treated Honda as a friend. In time, Honda began to accept Yugi…how could he not? Yugi was this innocent little kid…everyone picked on him and pushed him around, and he didn't do anything about it. He would go out of his way to help someone, even someone who would never think about doing the same for him.

_Maybe this is your fault, Yugi." _Honda thought. _Maybe if you weren't so nice… Maybe if you, for once in your life, thought about what was best for _you_, thought about what _you _needed and what _you_ had to do for _yourself_… You'd still be here… Please, Yugi… You can't leave us now…

* * *

_

Anzu Mazaki hesitantly turned her attention from Yugi to Honda, thinking she had heard Honda mumble something about Yugi and…the accident.

"Um…did you say something Honda…?" she asked timidly. Honda didn't answer her, didn't even acknowledge her existence. He continued to stare into the face of Yugi, and Anzu, deciding that now was not the time to be asking questions, returned her attention to Yugi as well. She was sitting in a chair by Yugi's bedside, arm outstretched, hand wrapped around little Yugi's wrist tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, he would leave her. Her shoulders shook slightly, and when she spoke, her voice was shaky, the voice of one who wished to scream their sorrows to the world, the voice of one who wanted to cry out for it's fallen friend. Instead, she sat holding Yugi's wrist, eyes tired and red, throat sore from sobbing. She waited for the tears to stop, waited for the pain to leave her and for the horrible dream to end. But…she knew it was no dream. Her shoulders began to rise faster, and her breaths became shorter. Suddenly, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Yugi…!" She desperately cried. "Yugi…please don't die, Yugi! I'm not ready for you to leave yet…! None of us are!" She broke down, sliding off the chair, never once letting go of Yugi's wrist. She carefully rested her head on Yugi's chest and whispered, "Please don't leave us, Yugi… I'm not ready for you to go…"

Jounouchi and Honda, startled by Anzu's outburst, quickly rushed to her aid.

"Hey, don't worry, Anzu," Honda said, using his sleeve as a tissue and wiping the tears from his eyes, while struggling to steady his shaking voice. "Yugi will pull through this…he always does." Jounouchi merely nodded his head and briefly put his hand on Anzu shoulder, still to broken to use his voice.

"Now, why don't you loosen your grip on his wrist, Anzu? He has enough injuries as it is…!" Honda had meant for it to be a joke, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Immediately, Anzu began to tear up again, while Jounouchi turned his head and looked away, a stifled choke escaping from him.

"Wait…" Honda said. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm just…I'm trying to say something to make me feel better…to make all of us feel better…" Jounouchi turned and nodded at Honda, while Anzu looked up, and silently agreed.

"You're right, Honda…I'm just…I don't want him to leave us…"She quietly ended. Still, she released Yugi from her grip, and carefully placed his hand beside him. "But…he'll be okay if I let go."

She began to rise from her knees,when suddenly, Yugi's arm began to move.

"Yugi!"

"He's awake!"

* * *

Yugi began to shake and convulse, slowly at first, then violently, heaving up and down on the hospital bed. A choking noise escaped from his lips, and he began to softly cough. Still convulsing, the coughs quickly grew louder and rougher, straining the young boys throat. Yugi's bright unseeing eyes shot open, and a trickle of blood began to run from his mouth, adding more to the cloth that protected his chest. Slowly, he began to regain consciousness, flashes of memories flooding back into his mind as he recalled the vicious attack that he had endured just hours earlier. His vision returned, and he briefly saw his friends standing around him, looks of shock upon their grief-filled faces…then came the pain. 

Suddenly, Yugi could feel all the pain that his unconscious mind had allowed him to forget. The various cuts and bruises on Yugi's body began to ache with pain as he struggled to withstand the force of it all. His eyes widened as the pain begin to overtake him, and in the mist of all of his coughing and sputtering, Yugi screamed with all his might. Soon, the pain made it hard for Yugi to see, to think, to even breathe. He couldn't remember who or where he was, and as the brief glimpses he got of his friends disappeared, he grew fearful that he was in a room full of strangers. But, the aching proved to be too much for the young boy, and soon after awakening, he began to slip back into the shadows, his body still convulsing violently. His vision blurred, and all of his senses began to give out. Vaguely, he heard the strangers shouting something… _Are they shouting at me…? _he thought vaguely. He didn't have time to dwell on his question though, and he drifted off again, retreating back into the unconscious nightmares.

* * *

**Notes: **_Okay, this is my first fanfic here, so be nice! Read and review, please. Comments and complaints are welcomed. Heck, I'll even take flames. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If not, tell me what you didn't like, and I'll work on fixing it. I can't please everyone, though, so just try to live with it. Oh, and when it's in italics, it's because it's what the charater is thinking to him/herself. Also, the title doesn't make sense now, but in later chapters you'll understand._


	2. To Live Only to Forget?

**Disclaimer: **They can never truly be mine...does that really mean I don't care?

Okay, if you'll remember from Chapter 1, Yugi was beginning to have a seizure which Jounouchi Anzu and Honda can only watch in horrer.

* * *

**Chapter 2: To Live Only to Forget?**

"Oh, god…Yugi!" Anzu cried, looking into Yugi's eyes and fearing the worst.

"W-we need some help over here!" shouted Jounouchi, breaking his silence, panicking at the sight of his best friend in so much agony. He stood still, eyes widening and muscles stiffening, ready to blame himself if Yugi got any worse. Tears started to run down his cheeks again, and he fell to his knees looking into the eyes of his fallen friend.

Honda was the only one who was thinking clearly, and he sprinted to the door, jerking it open and jamming his head out. "Nurse! Please! Get over here, quick!" He shouted. "Please, something's wrong with Yugi!"

One of the nurses standing at the Information Desk turned her head, remembering that Yugi was the name of the boy who was brought in earlier in the day and registered under critical condition. She glanced down the hallways and saw Honda, panic showing clearly in his face, his voice shaking as he begged for her to come. She quickly ran down the hall, knowing that one second could mean life or death in a situation like this. Honda held the door open for her, and she rushed in, immediately seeing why the three youths were in such distress.

"Quick!" she shouted, wasting no time. "I'm going to need you three to help me out! Can you do that?"

Honda and Jounouchi both nodded vigorously, while Anzu silently agreed. Each of them was willing to do anything to save Yugi.

"Okay, you two," the nurse said, nodding at the two boys, "Grab Yugi's arms and try to hold him down. Be careful, though! You don't want to harm him any more."

Neither of the boys needed any warning, and they quickly rushed to their friends bedside. Jounouchi was at Yugi's left side, and he took at gentle but firm grasp of Yugi's wrist, holding his convulsing body down as tightly and carefully as he could. Honda, mimicking his friend, did the same. Anzu followed the boys example and rushed forward, stopping at the foot of the bed to hold Yugi's legs. She gently took hold of them, and pressed them softly against the bed. Yugi couldn't be held down that easily, though, and his chest and head continued to violently heave, blood slowly and steadily dripping down Yugi's cheek.

"Nurse!" shouted Honda, fixatedly staring at the steady flow of blood. "Yugi's still shaking!"

"That's okay," the Nurse said, trying her best to keep a calm disposition. "As long as he's not flailing about too much, we'll be fine." The Nurse was at one of the small tables in the room, filling a needle with some sort of medicine. She filled it up, and softly pressed the tube in, making sure it was working properly. When she was through, she swiftly made her way over to Yugi, where Jounouchi was holding his arm.

"Watch out," she told him, "I'm going to give this to him, okay? It will stop him from convulsing."

Quickly, Jounouchi nodded his frightened head, turning away while the Nurse injected Yugi with the medicine. The Nurse pulled up Yugi's torn and battered sleeve, and gently rubbed an area on his arm. Then, she raised the needle, and pushed down the lever.

At first, the medicine only seemed to have made Yugi worse. He started shaking faster, and his breaths became shorter. Suddenly, his amethyst eyes opened wide, and he almost shot up in the bed, only Jounouchi and Honda's desperate grips keeping him down. His glazed eyes were moving about, looking everywhere, but seeing nothing. He screamed again, louder than the first time, and desperately tried to move his arms and legs; fortunately, to no avail.

Slowly, the medicine started to take effect. Yugi's breaths became shorter, and his body went limp, arms and legs relaxing, allowing Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu to finally let him go. Yugi moaned quietly, his hand clenching and unclenching, as if reaching for something that was not there. Seeing his movements, Anzu quickly resumed her position by his bedside, and put her hand into his. Feeling this, Yugi tightened his fist, as if afraid to let go. Then, his eyelids lowered, and he small, spiky, tri-colored head drooped down into his bandaged chest, drawing yet another moan from the hurt boy. Honda reacted this time, reaching for Yugi and slowly, carefully, laying his limp head back against the pillow. Finally, Yugi looked relaxed.

The Nurse came over and examined Yugi, checking his heart rate and bodily functions. When she seemed satisfied with her work, she gave a small nod, and began to exit the room.

"Hey, wait!" Anzu cried. "Shouldn't…shouldn't you put Yugi into something more comfortable, like a hospital gown or something? It's already been four hours…" She ended lamely, noticing that the Nurse had already been shaking her head 'no'.

"Yugi is in critical mental and physical condition. He has a concussion, three broken ribs, and…he is slowly slipping into a coma. Not to mention the various other injuries he received. Right now, any more stress could harm him even further, it's too risky to move him now. When-" she stopped, noticing her mistake, and immediately corrected herself, not wanting to give Yugi's friends any false hope. "_If_ he stabilizes, we'll be sure to make him more comfortable."

"Wait…"Honda said, noticing her correction. "What do you _"if" _You mean "when"…don't you? _When _Yugi gets better?"

The Nurse paused, and lowered her deep green eyes to the ground. This was the part of the job she hated the most. As time went on, she grew used to telling people the news, but…seeing these three devoted friends clinging to the hope that their friend would live was only making it harder. She took a deep breath and straightened, preparing to tell the three youths the news.

"Th…the truth is, kids…" she stammered, "Yugi…he won't live much longer than a week."

The Nurse waited, unsure of how these youths would react to the news. It seemed it was different every time, in every room. Some people were Criers, who burst into tears and refused to stop; some were Deniers, who curled into a ball and merely stared into space refusing to talk to anyone; some were Silents, who had qualities of both of the former, just no words involved, as if they had forgotten to speak. Then there were those who went mad with grief, and shouted that it wasn't true, that it was some kind of cruel joke. She hoped they weren't the latter.

It seemed there was a little of everything in the too-clean hospital room. Though the white hospital walls and floors gave off a feeling of happiness, it was completely opposite of what Yugi's three friends were feeling.

Anzu slid off the chair for the second time in less than 20 minutes, still holding tightly to Yugi's small and fragile hard, strangled sobs escaping her already-raw throat. Flashes of memories went through her mind, as she remembered the best times she had had with Yugi. She didn't want it to be true, but seeing Yugi laying so pitifully on the bed forced her to realize the truth. She sobbed louder, trying to make herself stop, but her efforts were futile, nothing could take away the pain she was feeling.

Suddenly, Anzu felt a strong hand on her shoulder, briefly clenching it before letting go. Then she heard deep, powerful voice coming from right behind her. "_Aibou…please don't leave me…" _She turned around, wondering who had entered the room without her noticing, and to her great surprise, there was no one there. Her curiosity dimmed her sorrow and, confused, she turned to Honda and Jounouchi, thinking that one of them had come over and tried to comfort her. Anzu looked behind her and saw Honda, sitting against the wall with his head buried in his knees. _Wasn't him…_ She thought, teary eyes scanning the room. She then turned and looked ahead of her, and saw Jounouchi on the other side of Yugi's bed, head buried in against Yugi's arm. _It wasn't either of them… _She thought. _But…then who-_

Suddenly, she was cut off by the voice. _"Aibou…what will I do without you…?"_

_That voice…it sounded so familiar… Could it be…? _Suddenly, realization hit her, and she turned toward the Millennium Puzzle resting by Yugi's pillow. She cocked her head to the side, wondering if she had imagined the whole thing. _It felt so real…but we haven't seen him since Yugi's got hurt…wouldn't he have let us know he was here…?_

At that moment, something else grasped Anzu's attention. She felt a tightening grip on her hand, and she turned her head to look at Yugi. His head was moving from side to side, and his eyes kept tightening and then relaxing. His hand was clenching ad unclenching, as if he was in some sort of nightmare. He was moaning quietly, so quiet that Anzu had to lean closer to make sure it was really him. She watched him with pity in her eyes, and pain in her heart. _Oh Yugi…what's going to happen to you…? _Tears once again formed in her eyes, and she lowered her head, sobbing softly, the mysterious voice leaving her head along with her tears, to be forgotten until the time was right.

Honda looked stunned for a few seconds, eyes growing wide and fearful. "Yugi…!" he cried out, very suddenly and loudly, frightening the young nurse. Honda stumbled backwards, taking short, slow steps, stopping only because of the wall that kept him from going any further. Lifting his fist, he pounded angrily at the wall, his back against it, as if mad that it dare stop his pacing. Then, suddenly, he stopped, allowing his fist to relax and lean against the wall. He slowly allowed himself to slide down the wall, barely realizing what he was doing. He was on the floor now, his elbows resting on his knees, his head resting on his elbows, buried in his own body. Vague, half-thoughts formed in his head. _This isn't real._ _I'm dreaming. This must be some kind of cruel joke. _Most of them were along those lines, Honda trying to think of a way out, a way that…it was a lie. His heart knew the truth, though, and it wouldn't allow him to forget so easily. Knowing the truth, Honda buried his head further into his arms…and cried.

Jounouchi stared at Yugi's limp form, unable to summon enough energy to bring words to his tired and dry mouth. His guilt was overpowering him, making it hard for him to think and breath. There was only one phrase that came across his mind, one phrase that kept echoing into the vast corners of his thoughts. One phrase, the only thought in his mind that was the one he wanted to forget the most… _It's all my fault… _He closed his eyes, burying his head in his palms, forcing the tears to stop falling from his eyes. He didn't want to cry anymore…he didn't want to feel the pain…but he had no choice.

Jounouchi slowly walked forward, using every ounce of energy he could muster. Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity (but had only been a few seconds), Jounouchi had reached his destination. He allowed himself to fall to his knees, where he kneeled right next to Yugi's bed, just across from Anzu's position. He allowed his wandering eyes to follow Yugi's many scars, and an involuntary whimper escaped from him. As this happened, he allowed one almost-happy thought slip into his mind. _At least that ketsuoanansi _(1) _Kaiba isn't here to hear that. I can already hear what he would say…_

_"That's right Mutt, whimper like the dog you are!"_

Jounouchi quickly shook himself from that thought. _Wow…where did that come from? It's pretty weird what you can come up at stressful times…_ He looked down at Yugi again, all of his almost-happy thoughts quickly being erased. New thoughts entered his mind, flashes of Yugi's tragic accident.

----_Flashback_----

_"Jou! Please, get out of the way! I can protect myself! I have to do this if I want to save him!"_

_Yugi violently pushed Jou to the side, making Jou stumble backwards and fall several feet away- just enough to keep him away from the attack._

_Seconds later, Jou heard a blood-curling scream, coming from where he had just been standing. "Yugi…?" He hesitantly asked. When he received no answer, he cautiously got up, knees shaking slightly for fear of what he might find. "Yug…?" What Jou saw next made him gasp, a sharp intake of breath that was much unlike his normal self._

_"Yugi…!" he shouted, tears already leaking out of his light hazel eyes. "Oh, god… Guys! get over here, quick! Yugi…Yugi's hurt!_

_"Oh god…It's all my fault!"_

_----End of Flashback----_

Jou shook himself from the painful memory, shaking his head as a dog will shake after a much disliked bath. Still kneeling, he lowered his head and buried it between Yugi's arm and stomach. _Yugi…you can't die, Yugi… Not here…not now… You promised you'd always be there for me…for all of us… I'll save you somehow. I promise, I'll save you like you've saved me. I'll get revenge for you… _Jounouchi then shut his eyes as tightly as he could, feeling what was coming next, and trying as hard as he could to stop it. Then Jounouchi remembered something that made him change his mind.

_----Flashback----_

_Yugi was dueling a mind-controlled Jou in Battle City, and was now having to make one of the hardest decisions of his life. His best friend…or himself…_

_Yugi had tears streaming out of his eyes, and was making no effort to stop them. "Jounouchi…I love you _(2)_." He straightened, tears still streaming, wearing the tears like proud badges of affection for his friend. "Now it's time! Mirror Force, direct you attack towards me!"_

_"Yugi, NOOO!"_

----_End of Flashback----_

Once again, Jounouchi mentally shook himself. Yugi had proudly cried when he told Jounouchi how much he cared for him, and when Yugi knew he was about to die, he cried for his friends, and not himself. Jounouchi opened his eyes, still buried in Yugi's arm, and allowed the hot tears to make their way down his cheeks. He would proudly show his love for his friend, just as Yugi had done.

The Nurse watched the three youths, who had forgotten her presence. She was close to tears herself; these three were genuinely in pain, and she had never seen such affection shown for a friend, especially in boys. She was touched, and as the tears threatened to make their presence known, she decided to make her leave. She bowed slightly, and muttered, "I'm sorry…" hoping they wouldn't notice her shaky voice. She had just turned to make her leave when-

"Wait…!"

She quickly brought her hand to her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yes?" She said steadily, turning to face the one that had asked for her.

It was Honda, who had finally picked his head up from his elbows. He looked up at the Nurse from his place on the floor, tears still shining brightly in his deep chocolate eyes. "Nurse…" he started, struggling to stop his voice from breaking, "Yugi…he- isn't there some chance that Yugi will live?" Jou and Anzu had heard Honda's question, and they quickly turned their heads to look at the Nurse, fearing the answer.

The Nurse looked into the three pairs of eyes that had now focused their attention on her. There was almost always a chance that a near-death patient could get better, but…she didn't want to give the three false hopes. _Well…_she thought, deciding what to do, _maybe what they need right now is a little hope. _

"Well," she started, "there is a slight chance that Yugi will survive. But…"

"But what…!" Anzu asked. She didn't think it could be anything too bad. After all, Yugi might live!

"Yugi…" the Nurse continued as though there had been no interruption, "He's been through severe mental and physical strain, and if he lives…he might not remember much…"

"What do you mean?" Honda asked. "Like…he won't remember his attack?"

"Well, there's that, but…Yugi could forget any amount of days, or years. He could forget, today, the week, even the past few years…he may even forget you guys… But chances of his survival are slim, and the chances of him remembering much are even slimmer… I…I don't' want you to get your hopes up, okay?" The Nurse turned and walked towards the door. "Oh, visiting hours are over in about forty minutes, okay? I know you don't want to, but you'll have to leave. We'll take good care of Yugi , the best we can." And with that ending statement, she quickly left the room, leaving the three shocked teens to talk amongst themselves.

* * *

1) _k__etsuoanansi_-asshole

2) In the Japanese episode, captions say "Jounouchi...I like you best..." What he means is, "I love you." Kawii!

Thank you for all the nice reveiws! Sorry for any misspellings! (In order of reveiw)

qwertopip

yugioh-startrekker

tai'sgirl23

can'tdueldon'taskme

Mystical Nonsense

yugirules

candyshopper

And special thanks to C.B.A, whois the beta of this story! Thank's a lot!


	3. Grief and Guilty Thoughts

**Disclaimer:**I do not, nor will I ever, own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however, own this cookie! (dances) (accidentally eats cookie) (gasp) Where did my cookie go! (runs away to look for cookie)

Hello, everyone! When we left off, the nurse just finished telling Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda that Yugi was going to die. And even if he didn't, he would lose his memories and forget all about his friends! Here we are: the reactions.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Grief, Guilty Thoughts**

The room was silent; each of the three teens were buried in their own thoughts. Would Yugi die…or would he live, only to forget everything that was important to him…including the ones who would miss him the most…

"Yugi…" Anzu started, finally breaking the silence. "He…he couldn't really forget us…could he? Not after all we've been through together…" The two boys were silent, afraid to answer the question. Neither of them wanted to believe that Yugi would die, but…they weren't looking forward to the alternative either.

The room went silent again, Anzu's unanswered question hanging in the air like some sort of stubborn foul scent. Each of them kept to themselves for a while. Anzu was still holding tightly to Yugi's small hand, and was staring into his young face with obvious affection. His expression was still blank, except for the times when his eyes would scrunch up in fear and he would start to tremble slightly. When that happened, Anzu squeezed his hand tighter, and carefully pulled him close, hoping that she would be able to see his friendly smile again someday.

Jou hadn't said anything since he had shouted to the Nurse during Yugi's convulsing fit, and that was about twenty minutes ago. His head was still buried in Yugi's arm, and his brilliant hazel eyes were still shining with pained tears. _I don't' want you to die, Yugi. But…I don't want you to forget me either… I promise…I'll save you somehow… I promise… _He raised his head, and looked into Yugi's tightly shut eyes. _You won't die, Yugi…that much I know. I won't let you die…_

Honda was still on the floor, not really thinking about anything, except Yugi. He was staring in the general direction of Yugi's hospital bed, seeing it, but not really seeing it at all. He was buried in his own thoughts, hopelessness beginning to wash over him like a waterfall. _Yugi…he won't make it…_ he was thinking. Suddenly, a bright light coming from the head of Yugi's hospital bed caught his eye. He ignored it for a moment, thinking that it was just his imagination running wild, when it lit up again, brighter this time, as if saying, _"Hello! You haven't forgotten me already, have you?"_ Honda turned his head towards the light, and saw what was causing it- the Millennium Puzzle. Realization hit him just then, as he quietly murmured two words to himself- two words that brought a million questions to his mind.

"The Pharaoh…" he said to himself. "The Pharaoh!" Honda leaped up, new energy filling him at his sudden realization. His outburst had immediately caught Jounouchi and Anzu's attention, which made them both turn and look quizzically at Honda, wondering if he been the first of them to crack.

"Guys…" Honda said, staring at each of them in turn. "Atem(1)…what…what's going to happen to him?"

Jounouchi opened his mouth wide, surprised at himself for forgetting about Atem for so long. He realized whose voice he had heard speaking to him, and mentally slapped himself for not figuring it out sooner. Jounouchi didn't say anything about the voice he had heard though, because he still wasn't really sure how he _could_ hear Atem… _Maybe it was just wishful thinking… _Pushing those thoughts aside, he returned to Atem himself, wondering what would become of him. _Pharaoh…what's gonna happen to you…?_

Anzu's eyes widened, and she was quick to question the pharaohs soon-to-be fate. "That's right…the Pharaoh's soul is connected to Yugi's… Will Atem live because his soul is connected to the Millennium Puzzle as well? Or will he…you know…if Yugi…"she trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the word she feared the most.

Once again, the room was filled with silence. Then, out of the blue Honda broke it, speaking with the hopelessness that had filled his soul just moments before. "He's not going to make it," he stated bluntly, fists trembling by his sides as his deep chocolate eyes filled with hot tears. His voice broke when he spoke his next words, while his shoulders shook up and down, "Yugi's not going to make it…! He's going to-ahh!" Honda's voice broke off suddenly, as he screamed with both surprise and pain.

Jounouchi had come from the opposite side of Yugi's bed, moving much quicker than Anzu or Honda had ever seen. Anzu had just barely seen him rush past her when Jou stopped right in front of Honda, anger and sadness mixed in his honey-colored eyes. Jou glared furiously at Honda, then pulled his right fist up and punched him as hard as he could, making Honda stumble backwards several feet and slam into the wall behind him.

"No," Jou said in a commanding voice, a voice neither of them had ever heard him use before. Honda reached his hand to the side of his face and rubbed it slightly, looking at Jou with confusion obvious in his hopeless expression.

"Don't you see…?" Jou said in a calm, quiet voice, turning away from Honda to look at Yugi. "Yugi, he…we can't give up on him…" he looked at Yugi and began talking, almost forgetting that Honda and Anzu were even there. "Back…back at Battle City… Do you remember when Malik attacked me…and I almost died?"

Anzu and Honda both silently nodded their heads, even though they both knew Jou wouldn't have noticed either way.

"Yugi, he…" Jou said, continuing as if there had been no interruption, "He always believed I would make it. Even when I was on the brink of death…he always believed I would make it…"

"… That's why I know he'll live! I believe he'll live, no matter what some quack nurse tells me! You hear me, Yug!" Jou bent down and grabbed Yugi's hand, voice softening, as if he was speaking to a young child, "I haven't given up yet…so you shouldn't either. 'Kay, Yugi?(2)" Jou could've sworn he saw Yugi nod, just a little.

He let go of Yugi's hand and turned to face Honda and Anzu. "Don't you see guys…?" he said quietly. "Even…even if he can't remember us… _We_ will be his memories…(3)" Jounouchi then lowered his head, and began to cry again.

Anzu hesitantly let go of Yugi's hand, then stood up and walked over to Jou, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. "You're right, Jounouchi…" she said softly, looking into his teary eyes, "Yugi…he'll live… I know he'll live."

Honda then walked over and put arms around Jounouchi and Anzu, pulling each of them into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Jou… I shouldn't have given up…" Jou then looked at Honda, giving him a slight nod to let Honda know he had forgiven him.

A quiet knock was heard at the door, and the three slowly broke apart, waiting to see who would enter. "Guys…?"came the voice of the nurse. "Is it okay if I come in?"

Silence was hard in the room, neither of the three wanting to use their voices for fear of it breaking. "Yes," Honda said finally, deciding that what the nurse had to say might have been important.

The doorknob slowly turned, as the nurse poked her head in before opening the door all the way and fully entering. "I'm sorry to interrupt you," she said, bowing slightly, "But visiting hours ended a few minutes ago, so I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

"Yes, miss," Jou said, "But…is it alright if we have just a few more minutes? Just so we can tell him goodbye? I don't want him to think we abandoned him…"

The Nurse tilted her head to the side, pity showing in her expression. "Okay…" she said, giving in to their charm, "I'll let you have five more minutes. But don't' tell anyone about this, alright? I'll get in trouble with my bosses."

"Thank you, miss," said each of the three voices.

The nurse turned and started to leave, when she stopped suddenly, and turned around to face the three youths. "I'm…I'm really sorry about your friend…" she said, her demeanor changing from one of happiness to one of pity. "I…I can't promise he'll live… But I swear I'll do my best to save his life. You have my word."

"Thank you," Jounouchi said. "But…I know Yugi's gonna make it. He'll live, somehow. I know he's gonna live."

The Nurse bowed once again, saying nothing, not wanting to ruin his hope. She turned and left, only waving her hand as a gesture of goodbye.

The three wasted no time in saying their heartfelt goodbyes, each of them bending down and talking to Yugi one-on-one. Anzu returned to her spot on the chair, and gently squeezed Yugi's hand, whispering, "I know you'll come back, Yugi… Please…don't die…"

Honda stood by Anzu, gripping her and Yugi's shoulder at the same time, attempting to offer comfort to both of them. _I'm sorry I doubted you, Yugi. _he thought to himself._ It's just…I'm so scared that you'll leave us… I…I have a hard time believing you'll overcome all of this… Please…please prove me wrong, Yugi…_

Jounouchi, however, was thinking quite differently from Honda. Kneeling across from Anzu, he was thinking about how he would save Yugi._ It's my fault you're like this, Yugi. I couldn't protect you this time…but I promise you'll live. I don't know how, but you'll live. I'll save you. _Jounouchi looked at Yugi, thinking about how he had gotten so hurt. _Bakura…you ketsuoana _(4)_…I'll get you for this! I'll make you save Yugi! _

"Okay, guys…" Honda said, breaking the silence for the umpteenth time that night. "We better go…we don't want to have those nurses on our case." Silently, Anzu and Jounouchi rose, both of their thoughts concentrated on Yugi. All three walked towards the door in silence, and before exiting, they looked back at Yugi, as if afraid he had disappeared. Their eyes showed unspoken apologies for leaving Yugi in his time of need, but they knew they had no choice. And with guilt weighing upon their broken hearts, they left the room, each so preoccupied in their own thoughts that none of them noticed the bright flash from the Millennium Puzzle. Nor did they notice the transparent spirit appear out of thin air and kneel down next to the young boy, crying, as they had just moments ago.

----_At the Kame Game Shop----_

"Y-yes, t-thanks again…" said the broken and strained voice of Sugoroku Mutou, more commonly known as 'Grandpa' or 'Gramps. "P…please tell me if anything changes in his condition…" he paused again, listening to the person's answer. "Okay…but still, just in case, I want to know," another pause. "You have a goodnight, too." He put the phone down, shaky hand trembling as it reached towards the receiver. The old man stood still for a while, not thinking about much, just standing. Finally, he began to move again, walking upstairs into his young grandson's room.

He slowly walked up the stairs, taking each step one at a time, until he came to the second door on the left. He gently pushed it open, and walked towards the small bed that he had gotten for his grandson when he was 5. He had been planning on buying him a new one, but…well, Yugi was a small boy for his age, so it seemed he wouldn't be needing a new one for a while. _He might not ever need a new one if he… _

Grandpa lowered his head, letting the tears fall down his wrinkled cheek. _I was supposed to protect him…_ he thought miserably. _I promised him…_

_----Flashback----_

_Grandpa walked slowly down the hallway, not yet believing what he had just been told about his daughter and son-in law. He looked up and saw his 5 year old grandson, sitting in a child's chair in the waiting room. He swung his little legs back and forth, his small feet just barely reaching the ground. _

_"Yugi…?" Grandpa asked timidly, not wanting to frighten the child. _

_Yugi looked up, recognizing the voice of his grandfather. "Gwampa…?" he said, looking into his identical amethyst eyes. Grandpa bent down, preparing to lift his grandson up._

_"Gwampa!" Yugi shouted, running out of the chair and jumping into his grandfathers outstretched arms. "Gwampa…" Yugi whined quietly, lowering his voice in his confusion and sadness. "Where are mommy and daddy? The mean doctors won't let me see them…" Yugi hid his head in his Grandfathers chest, not wanting him to see him cry._

_Grandpa picked up Yugi's head, and looked into his young eyes, which held a mixture of confusion and grief. "Yugi…" he said, unsure of how to start off. "Yugi…your mommy and daddy…I'm afraid that they're…gone." he finished lamely. _

_"Gone where?" Yugi questioned. "Is it…is it because of me…? They don't want to see me anymore…?"_

_"No!" Grandpa said. "Yugi…your parents loved you very much. But…they died, little one… I'm…I'm so sorry…"_

_"Does…does that mean…I'll never see them again…?" Grandpa slowly nodded. "No…!" Yugi moaned, not fully understanding the devastating news, but still knowing that he would never see his parents again. _

_"Don't cry, Yugi… I…If you want…you can come and live with me."_

_"R-really?" Yugi asked, raising his head to look at his grandfather._

_"Of course, Yugi."_

_"But…" Yugi said, lowering his head once again and hiding his teary eyes. "What if…what if you leave me all alone, too!" _

_"No, Yugi," Grandpa said, reaching for Yugi's chin and lifting his head. "Yugi…no matter what happens…I promise I'll always protect you._

_Yugi's smile widened a little, and he opened his eyes wide. "Pwomise, Gwampa…?"_

_"I promise, Yugi." Grandpa said, stifling a smile._

_"Okay, Gwampa," Yugi said sleepily, unable to stay awake for much longer. He lowered his head once again, putting his small thumb into his half-open mouth. Only minutes after receiving the most devastating news a child can get, Yugi had fallen asleep in his caring grandfathers' arms._

_----End of Flashback----_

_Yugi…_ Grandpa thought. _I'm…I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I was so _stupid_… I'm nothing but a senile old fool…how can I possibly protect you now? _Grandpa felt the warm clear liquid falling down his cheeks, and made no attempt to brush them away. He heaved a long, loud sigh as he ran his hand along Yugi's bed sheets, hoping he wouldn't lose the only family he had left… _I'm so sorry, Yugi… Please, don't leave…_

_

* * *

_

Thanks a lot to all reveiwers! (hugs all reveiwers) And to those who haven't reviewed yet- review! It's virtually painless, and it only takes about 10 seconds of your time. Plus, you get a hug! Who doesn't want a hug?

In order of review number:

yugirules: _I feel bad for them, too. Poor Yugi's friends! (tears) It makes me sad when I write it._

qwertopip: _Sorry for making you cry! (hands you tissues) Hope you enjoyed the chapter, though._

seers-of-a-lost-paradise: _Thanks for the super insightful and super-nice review! It made me very happy._ _Yugi's Jii'chan wont be appearing much more often then this. At least, I don't think so. I may change my mind, though._

tai'sgirl23: _Yami will be a much bigger character in the next and later chapters. _Especially_ in later chapters._

C.B.A.: _I don't know why they didn't recognise sexy Atem's voice, I guess they were just so sad they forgot about him… (shifty) Anyways, everybody say 'thank you' to C.B.A! She's the beta, and without her, you'd end up with a story full of grammer mistakes and misspelled words. Thanks, Manda! _

yugioh-star trekker: _Don't cry! I don't want Yugi to die, either. I wish I could make you feel better, but I don't want to ruin the story for you!_

candy shopper: _Thanks for the review! I don't care if you reviewed already, you can do it 100 times if you like! Thanks again_!

cantdueldontaskme: _I feel bad for Yugi's friends, too. Why am Iso mean to them?_

**Notes:** _1) I'm using the name Atem, but this is supposed to be before the Memory Saga. They're not supposed to know his name is really Atem, I just like it better than Yami._

_2) I stole this from the #4 Yu-Gi-Oh Graphic Novel. Jou is telling Yugi not to give up when they are about to be killed in Death T-4. _

_3) I stole this from one of the Japanese Yugioh episodes. I don't know which number. Anyways, Yugi says it to Atem when they are talking about Atem getting his memories back and leaving Yugi forever. Atem says,"I want to be with you forever." And Yugi says, "Me too...forever. I will give you my memories..." Aw! Kawaii!_

_4) __Ketsuoana-ass _

Well, you just found out who was responsible for Yugi's injuries. But why would Bakura, and how, would Bakura do that? Next chapter (and the chapter after) are flashbacks. You'll find out exactly what happened to Yugi! Oh, and I almost forgot, this is supposed to take place after the Doom Organization and before Kaiba's Grand Prix.


	4. Realization?

**Disclaimer:** I do, nor do I claim to, own Yu-gi-oh or anyof it's products. I do, however, own this cookie! (dances)

Some quick notes before I start:

_"Yugi and Atem using the mind link"_

_A persons own thoughts_

Also, all this is happening the day of Yugi's "accident", beginning when he wakes up in the morning.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Realization?**

_----Flashback----_

BEEP! BEEP!

Yugi rolled over in bed, poking himself with one of the edges of the Millennium Puzzle. "Ow!" he muttered sleepily. "Stupid karma…thinks it's so great…." He balled his hand into a fist under his pillow. "I'll show you…!" he said, drifting off to sleep again.

"Aibou(1)! Come on, Aibou, it's time to wake up!"

Yugi turned and looked at the transparent spirit that had materialized next to his bed. He looked into the deep crimson eyes that were filled with mirth and joy. "Aw…five more minutes, mou hitori no boku(2)…" he said, stuffing his head under his pillow.

"Aibou!" Atem said, reaching over and gently shaking Yugi. "Come on! We're going to be late- _again_!"

Yugi pulled his head out from under the Millennium Puzzle, revealing his messy tri-colored hair. "Fine…" he said grumpily. "But I'm not happy about it!" He shook his balled up fist at Atem, and in return received a face full of cloths.

"Shut up and get dressed, Aibou," was all that Atem said.

Yugi sighed, then reluctantly rolled over and dropped to the ground. He was smiling, enjoying the regular morning routine between himself and his darkness. Of course, you'd be hard-pressed to find a time when Yugi wasn't smiling. It seemed as if nothing could even dampen his spirits, and no matter what happened, that bright smile was always present with Yugi. In fact, that was one of the reasons his friends loved him so much. Yugi straightened to his full height (which wasn't much) and took the clothes that Atem had thrown at him. Sighing, he pulled his moon and stars pajama pants off, and plopped down on the bed, pulling his blue leather pants on one leg at a time.

Atem sat on a dresser near Yugi, laughing while he watched Yugi struggle with his leather pants. Yugi threw Atem fake angry glares, which only made Atem laugh harder, which only made Yugi fake-angry-glare harder, which…well, you get the point. After all of their joking around had finished, Atem casually glanced at the alarm clock resting on Yugi's dresser, he then did a quick double-take, a look of shock coming across his face as he noticed what time it was.

"Aibou! Come on, it's 7:30 already! It took you so long to get dressed we already have to go!"

"Aww!" Yugi whined, "but I wanted to eat breakfast!" Yugi ran down the stairs while desperately trying tame his tri-colored hair, following the person that only he could see. As they rushed through the kitchen, Atem pointed toward the pack of bagels that was beside the toaster. "Eat one of those!" he said, rushing out the door, knowing Yugi would follow him.

"But I wanted cereal!" Yugi shouted after Atem. Atem didn't even turn around, just kept walking down the sidewalk. "Damn!" Yugi said playfully, sighing and grabbing the bagel out of the package. He rushed out the door, slamming it behind him, and ran to catch up to his darkness…his friend. He quickened his pace, knowing that Atem wouldn't- _No, couldn't_, he thought correcting himself- get far without his hikari(3) by his side.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Yugi said, running up to his four friends (Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Ryou) that were waiting for him at the corner of the street he lived on. 

"Hey Yug!" Jou said, grabbing his friend and pulling him into a bear hug.

"Jou…can't…breath!" Yugi said, struggling to get loose from his muscular and handsome friend.

"Sorry, Yug," Jou laughed, releasing his friend. "Hey, what time is it Honda?" Jou asked, not wanting to be late for school.

Honda looked at his watch. "It's- hey, when did you start caring about the time?" he questioned suspiciously. And, somehow knowing exactly what Jou was thinking, he said, "Is our little Jounouchi becoming a big boy and worrying about his school?"

"Shut up, Honda!" Jou shouted. He looked nervously at his feet, "I…I just can't get another tardy, okay? I don't wanna be stuck in detention for another afternoon…"

"Aww…that's good, Jou. You be a good little boy and do just as the teacher says. And if you're _real _good today, I'll buy you a cookie after school, okay?"

"Why you- !" Jou said, lunging at Honda and tackling him to the ground. The two boys then began fighting, throwing punching and random insults at each other, neither getting the upper hand. Minutes passed, as Yugi, Anzu, and Ryou talked and occasionally watched Jou and Honda fight, none of them making any attempt to stop the two boys. This, unfortunetly, was also part of the usual morning routine.

"Um…guys?" Ryou said nervously, trying to interrupt the fighting teens. "Guys?" he said a little louder, gaining confidence. "Guys!" he said, shouting as loud as he could, finally catching the two boys attention.

"What is it, Ryou!" they both questioned irritably.

"Um… I just thought Jou would like to know that we only have 5 minutes to get to school."

"Wha!" Jou said, leaping up and dashing towards the school.

Honda jumped up and laughed at Jou, "Good one, Ryou!" he said to the white haired boy.

"Um…I wasn't joking, Honda. We really only have 5 minutes to get to school," Ryou answered, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wha!" Honda said, giving Ryou a startled look, then turning and running after Jou. "Shimatta(4)…every damn time!" he said irritably. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he didn't want to waste another afternoon in detention either. "Come on, guys!" he called back to Yugi, Anzu, and Ryou. "Don't wanna be late!"

"I hope you know I hate this part!" Ryou said a few seconds later, taking in breaths between every word while madly dashing after Honda and Jou. "It happens everyday! You'd think we'd learn our lesson!"

Anzu laughed, "At least we're getting good exercise!"

Yugi looked ahead, seeing the school come into view. "We're almost there, guys!" he said, also panting. "Wait…do you hear that?" he perked his ears, straining to hear. "Kuso(5)! That's the minute bell!" The three students saw Jou and Honda run up the stairs of the school and enter the building, then the three picked up speed, knowing they would probably be late.

_"Aibou! Hurry up! Grandpa's going to be mad at us if we're late again!" _Atem said from his hiding place inside the puzzle.

_"I know!" _Yugi said, pushing his little legs to go faster. "_But this is as fast as I go!" _Atem laughed, enjoying the morning antics, and retreated back into his soul room. _Detention…here we come.

* * *

_

RING!

"We're here!" announced Yugi, Anzu, and Ryou, bursting through the door just as the tardy bell rang.

The teacher, Mrs. Mikkoku, looked up at the three with an annoyed expression. "Please take you're seat, you three. I'm going to cut you some slack today, because you at least came in _during _the bell."

They laughed nervously, then quickly walked to their seats, hoping to avoid any more trouble. Yugi walked to his regular seat, in front of Jou, behind Ryou, and between Anzu and Honda. He went and plopped down in his desk, giving yet another fake-angry-glare to Jou for leaving them all behind. Jou just laughed silently and brought his hand to the back of his neck. Yugi rolled his eyes, then turned around and began to listen to Mrs. Mikkoku.

"Kigeki Atori?"

"Here," a short but pretty girl raised her hand.

Yugi inwardly groaned; he hated roll-call, 10 minutes of listening and only a one second answer. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back into his desk, letting his mind wander freely. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Yugi, making him worry just a little bit. Soon after, although the class listened silently to Mrs. Mikkoku, quite a lively conversation was going on in his mind.

_"Mou hitori no boku?" _Yugi asked, addressing the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle through their mind link.

_"Yes, Aibou?" _Atem answered, shaking his head slightly. During school, Atem normally retreated to his soul room After all, he was pretty sure he had been in school before in ancient Egypt, and no one should be forced to endure school twice. Yugi, didn't mind, he could always get Atem's attention through the mind link.

_"Mou hitori no boku…what ever happened to Bakura?" _he said, gesturing toward the pale white-haired boy in front of him.

Atem cocked his head to the side, confusion plain on his face. Why would Yugi ask about something like that? _"Are you referring to-"_

_"The Spirit of the Millennium Ring, yes." _Yugi said, finishing his sentence.

_"What do you mean, Aibou?"_

_"I mean…"_ Yugi faltered, then stopped, trying to put his thoughts into order. _"I mean, is he really gone? Ryou's been hanging out with us a lot since Bakura disappeared in Battle City, and he seems to be perfectly normal. But…every once in a while, I can feel…a dark aura coming from Ryou. It's…it's like Bakura's back again, and I can sense all the darkness inside him. But Ryou doesn't even seem to notice it…and he hasn't been acting any differently…" _he sighed, then shook his head. _"Ah…maybe I'm just imagining things…"_

_"No, Aibou,"_ Atem cut in, _"I think I know what you mean. It…sometimes it feels like Bakura is in control again, doesn't it?_"

Yugi slowly nodded, sensing that Atem had already been thinking of this and had come up with an explanation.

_"I've been thinking…we would have sensed it if Ryou had somehow gotten the Millennium Ring again, so I doubt the Tomb Thief has returned. No…I think what is happening is that a bit of Bakura's soul was left with Ryou. Do you understand? Just like our spirits are intertwined, so are -or should I say _were_- Bakura and Ryou's. Bakura's soul must be showing itself occasionally, either trying to take over or trying to leave…"_

Yugi gasped, fear rising in the pit of his stomach. _"Should we be worried?"_ he questioned. _"I mean, what if-"_

_"Not to worry, Aibou." _Atem politely interrupted_. "I'm quite sure that Bakura isn't powerful enough to do anything harmful. He'll probably disappear completely, in time."_

Yugi sighed in relief. "_That's good. I didn't want to have to worry about-"_ Yugi was brought back to reality by a swift kick in the back of his desk.

"Yugi Mutou? Yugi Mutou!"

Yugi bright amethyst eyes unglazed, and he looked up to find Mrs. Mikkoku staring directly at him from her place at the front of the room. "H-here!" he said, a little too loudly. He looked around to room to find every pair of eyes on him, as if expecting him to jump up and do a trick. "S-sorry…" he mumbled, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Mrs. Mikkoku gave him a strange look, then returned to roll call and the class, following her example, returned their attention to her.

Yugi looked back at Jou (who was the one who kicked his desk), mouthing, "Arigatou(6)," then turning back around. Sinking as low as his desk would allow, Yugi returned to his conversation with Atem. "_Um…I think we should stop talking for today."_

Atem nodded, laughing, _"You're right, Aibou."_

Yugi closed his mind-link and sighed, his huge eyes slowly running around the room, and occasionally flashing with anger as they noticed other student's eyes watching with mirth. Yugi sighed once again, knowing that today was not going to be his day.

* * *

"Whoo!" Jou shouted, bursting out of the schools double doors. He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air after being cramped inside the school building for so long. He turned around to face his friends, expertly walking backwards down the stairs. "So what do ya wanna do today guys?" He turned forward again, leaping gracefully (almost too gracefully) onto the stair rail and gently sliding down, earning himself some applause from his friends. 

"Well," Yugi said, "Why don't we all go over to my place and just…I dunno, we'll figure something out. You know Grandpa doesn't mind."

Murmured agreements went around their circle, and together the group began the short walk to Yugi's house. Random insults and jokes were thrown around, and in their perfect bliss, none of them noticed the strange glint in Ryou's eyes…eyes that now strongly resembled the ancient Tomb Theifs'…

* * *

**Notes:** Sorry for taking so long to update. I was plannig on having the flashback all in one chapter, but it ended up being too long. So, I'll have to make it 2, possibly three more chapters. Now, I know this isn't as exciting/dramatic as it was before, but I swear it picks up. This is a boring chapter (to me anyways), but it's nessesary because of the conversation between Yugi and Atem. Pay attention! It'll help you for the next chapters.

Anywas, some of you may know these terms. If I use them the wrong way, feel free to correct me. I'm no expert in the feild, and I welcome help from people who know better. All the terms used are Japanese words.

1) 'partner'

2) 'the other me'

3) 'light'

4) 'damn it'

5) 'shit'

6) 'thank you'

Also I would like to thank all of the reviewers! Here you are, your own special little area. See? If you review, you get your own special place where you can look and see your name! Also, you get another hug! (hugs all reviewers) In order of review

_yugirules: _I know! Don't you just love/hate things that make you sad? But everyone needs a good cry once in a while! Lol, I know exactly what you mean.

_plutobaby494:_ Thanks for reviewing! Sorry for almost making you cry, but I'm really glad you liked it!

_tai'sgirl23:_ (hands you tissues) Don't cry! Yugi will be sad if you cry... Anyways, I'm glad you liked the Japanese and Manga parts, the scene between Yugi and Joey is so kawaii! (huggles them both) Wish I could tell you more about future chapter, but that'd take away all the suspence! You'll just have to find out for yourself! (hugggles you again)

_qwertopip:_ Lol, I used to update fast, but see, I have this rule for myself that I only post one chapter when the next one is finished. So I won't post chapter 5 until I finish chapter 6. Sorry, it's just some weird little habit of mine. Chapter 5 took longer than I expected, but I'm thinking of splitting it into 2 or 3 different chapters, bacause it's so long. I try not to make my chapters too much more or less than 2000 words. Lol, anyways, thanks for the reveiw!

_djanime2004:_ Glad you enjoy my story. This chapter wasn't sad, but it'll get much better later in the flashback! Thanks for the review!

_dreamergirl090:_ (tear) I know, I feel sad when I write about Yugi's pain, but...I dunno, it's just so...weird. I can't spoil the end for you, but dont give up on Yugi yet! He has a lot more ahead of him...

_yugioh-startrekker_: Sit at home! (scoffs) Don't worry, there's a lot more drama coming up in later chapters. (looks at above chapter) Okay, maybe that's a bad example. But I swear, all the drama you know and love will beback in full swing in the next chapter (or the one after that). There's plenty of trouble for all of the charaters ahead! Our loveablebuddies aren't out of the woods yet! (hugs you again) Aren't hugs great? Lol

_seers-of-a-lost-paradise: _Thanks so much for reviewing! I love your reviews, they always make me all happy because you're so nice in them!Thanks for the compliment onhow I broughtYami in. Unfortunetly, we won't be seeinghis reaction to Yugi's'accident' until aftre the flashbacks, but I swearit'll be great. Oh, andI love littte chibi Yugi, too! He's so adorable! That was one of my favorite parts to write. Lol, on your spelling mistakes, dont' worry about it! Once, i forgot how to spell 'of'. I think I even tried to spell it 'uv'...(shudders). Thank god I realized my stupid mistake about 3 seconds later! But still...wow...! Anyways, thanks again for the review! (huggles)

_**C.B.A**_ (If you didnt' know yet, she's the beta): Hey, Manda! Sorry for not waiting to post, but I just couldn't hold myself back! To everyone reading this, it's not exactly editted yet, so please excuse any mistakes. I'll edit it as soon as I get back the chapter. Thanks so much for helping me, Manda! (huggles)


	5. Those Eyes So Empty

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters... _Yet_...(shifty) (maniacal laughter)

Well, as you can see, this chapter has a bit of...not drama in it. It's sorta a comic releif kind of thing. But I swear, in the end and in the next chapter, all the drama you love will be back in full force! Well, don't just take my word for it! Read on!

**Note: **It's only been a few seconds since Yugi and the others left school.

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 5: Those Eyes So Empty**

"Hey, Yugi," Ryou said loudly and clearly, grasping not only the attention of Yugi but of everyone in the small group. "I know what we can to do today!"

"What is it- oof!" Yugi had turned to face Ryou, and had tried to walk backwards as Jou as splendidly done earlier. Unfortunetly for Yugi, there was a pole 5 feet away from where he had started, and he crashed into it, bumping the back of his tri-colored head on it. He brought his hand up to massage the tender area, trying to ignore his friends expressions as the struggled to keep a straight face and not laugh. They were failing- horribly.

_"Anyways,"_ Yugi said, turning to face Ryou, who was the only one that had succeeded in keeping a straight face. "What was it that you wanted to do, Ryou?"

"Well…why don't you and I have a friendly duel? You know, it's been ages since we dueled each other, and last time…well, it wasn't quite like I planned it would be, to say the least."

"Yeah…" Yugi nervously ran his hand through his hair, thinking about the last duel he had Ryou. It had been not been against Ryou, but against the Tomb Thief Bakura, who had used poor Ryou for his own evil doing. _I'm glad Bakura's gone. Now I don't have to worry about the Shadow Realm or anything. Just a nice, friendly duel with Ryou… Right? _Something went off in the back of Yugi's head, a warning almost. He shook his head, extinguishing the feeling.

_"What do you think, mou hitori no boku? Are you up for a little duel with Ryou? _

Atem nodded, hardly noticing his actions. He felt a sense of foreboding for some reason, but, there was nothing to worry about. He was only worrying because of Bakura's ghost of a soul, he was sure of it. Unconsciously mimicking his hikari, he shook his head, removing the feeling from his thoughts.

_"Was that a yes?" _Yugi questioned after an uncomfortable silence.

Atem quickly nodded.. _"Of course, Aibou."_

"Okay, Ryou! You're on!" Yugi shouted to no one in particular. He enthusiastically looked around at the group, face dropping when he noticed that they were blankly staring at back at him.

"Um…are you talking about the duel, Yugi?" Ryou asked.

There was a slight pause in the conversation as Yugi tried to figure out what Ryou's problem was. "Of course… Why do you ask…?" Yugi questioned suspiciously.

"Well…I asked you that about 5 minutes ago, Yugi…"

The was another, longer pause in the conversation as the entire group blankly stared at Yugi. Then-

"Hahahaha!" The entire group began to hysterically laugh, tears springing to their mirth-filled eyes as the watched their little friend glare angrily at each one of them, causing the laughter to double.

"Hey, Yugi!" Jou said, in near hysterics, "Can you hear me? Or is all that hair making it hard for our vocal sound waves to reach your eardrums!" The laughing immediately stopped, (except Jou, who went on laughing for a full minute until he noticed everyone else's actions) and all eyes focused on Jou's smart (literally _smart_) remark. They simultaneously blinked in confusion, then burst our laughing again (save Yugi and Jou).

"Shut up…" Yugi and Jou meekly mumbled, with no hopes of actually getting the teens to keep quiet. "Uh…look!" Yugi said, pointing ahead to where the game shop was coming into view. "What's that, Grandpa? Coming!" He ran forward, hoping the others would believe him and forget about laughing at himself and Jou.

"Hey- wait up, Yug!" Jou called out, following his younger friends' example. "Gramps might need my help, too!" And with that, he rushed after Yugi, hoping he was a good enough actor to fool his friends. Apparently, they both were, because the gang rushed after the boys, straining to hear or see Grandpa Mutou.

There he was, standing right in front of the Kame Game Shop, waving at Yugi and Jou with his left hand while the right one swept dirt off of the sidewalk. Yugi and Jou both skidded to a stop; obviously not expecting to _really _see the old man.

"Hi…Jii-chan(1)…" Yugi said, uncomfortably looking back at his friend's to see if they noticed his confusion. To his and Jou's great relief, they had completely absorbed themselves in a hold-your-breath contest- which Honda was failing miserably at. His face was turning blue, and within seconds he was on the ground, gasping for air as Ryou and Anzu laughed in victory.

"…me."

"Huh?" Yugi asked, turning away from the gang and returning his attention to his Jii-chan.

"I said, I'm surprised you two could hear me. You were pretty far back there…" he squinted and stood on his tiptoes, trying to see how far back the pair had been.

There was a slight pause as the boys desperately thought up explanations, and then, "Yeah…that's cuz we…fell in a radioactive pool…and got superpowers…and-"

"-the peanuts exploded…cuz I was wearin' my magic underwear!" Jou finished triumphantly.

Grandpa Mutou, blankly stared at his grandson and his friend. They had started their speeches simultaneously, so all he had heard was the beginning of Yugi's and the end of Jou's. "Anyways…" he said, deciding to ignore their last comments. "I have a few chores I need you to do around the shop Yugi."

"Aw…" Yugi groaned. "I guess that means I can't duel with Ryou…" he added in an undertone, almost to himself. For some reason, a cloud of worry drifted out of his mind, and he found that he was _glad_ that he wouldn't have to duel Ryou. Oddly, he felt like he shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place…but he was being silly. He was just a bit worried about Bakura, that's all.

He turned to face Ryou. "Sorry, Ryou," he began, "But I don't think-"

"Not to worry!" Jou cut in. "Don't worry 'bout it, Yug. Me, Honda, and Anzu'll take care of everything, 'kay?" Anzu and Honda heard their names and listened to the end of Jou's statement, quickly agreeing when they realized what Yugi's predicament was.

"Uh…thanks, Jou!" Yugi said, planting a false smile. _There's no use talking any since into Jou once he has his mind set on something. I might as well just agree with him now. Besides, the faster I duel him, the faster it's done. _He shook his head once again, franticly trying to rid the awful foreboding thoughts from his head. Unwanted dread soon began to wash over him, filling him with despair.

_"Mou hitori no boku…?"_

_"Yes, Aibou?"_

_"Are…are you sure?"_

Atem cocked his head to the side and narrowed his dark crimson eyes in confusion, watching Yugi with an odd expression on his face._ "Am I sure of what, Aibou?" _he questioned suspiciously.

_"Are you sure…he's gone…?"_

_"What are you talking about, Aibou? Are you okay?"_

_"I'm…I'm scared…" _Yugi said in an undertone.

_"What are you afraid of , Aibou. Don't worry…you can tell me." _Atem looked at Yugi, bringing his hand forward and slowly lifting Yugi's head, until they were looking at each other eye to eye."

_"I…I don't want to hurt him again…" _Yugi hesitantly confessed._ "The last time we dueled with Ryou, Bakura appeared, and…and Ryou could've died. If Bakura didn't show up at the last minute…"_ he stopped, unable to finish the sentence, shaking his head and blinking rapidly as hot tears began to make their was into his huge amethyst eyes.

Atem's crimson eyes brightened, realization hitting him in full force. He softly smiled, despite Yugi's situation, and thought, _My Aibou…always thinking about others…_ _"Bakura's gone now, Aibou. There's no way he can return and hurt Ryou anymore…or you, for that matter. I promise Bakura's gone, so you don't have to worry about him anymore."_

Yugi nodded, comforted by the reassurance of Atem. _"Thank you, mou hitori no boku…"_

Atem merely nodded, retreating back into his soul room.

"Hey, Yugi! What are you still doing over there? Follow me so we can duel in peace!" Ryou shouted. He was running towards the park, where there was sure to be plenty of room for a duel.

"Okay!" Yugi shouted in return, fully reassured, a bright smile now on his face. He rushed forward and struggled to catch up with Ryou. He stopped in the place that Ryou had been just seconds before. "Ryou…?" he called out cautiously.

"Over here, Yugi!" came the muffled voice of Ryou. Yugi spun around, trying to find Ryou's hiding place. Finally, his eyes rested on a small forest that was just about a hundred feet away.

"Are you in there, Ryou?" he asked, slowly edging over to the wooded area.

"Yes, Yugi!" Ryou called back. "Now hurry up and get over here, we don't have all day!"

Yugi ran the rest of the way, (slightly) ducking under branches as he entered the trees, and finally found Ryou there, tapping his foot in joking impatience. "Finally! I was beginning to think you'd gone and lost yourself!"

"Who could find you in this mess of trees!" he laughed. "Why are we dueling here, anyways?

"It's quiet here," he said casually. "We won't be bothered by people wanting to watch the King of Games duel. Besides, I don't want to be embarrassed and let anyone see me fail miserably!"

"Don't worry Ryou, I'll go easy on you," he lightly joked, pulling his duel disk out of his backpack. Turning it on and carefully inserting his deck, he turned to Ryou, who was busy with the same thing. "Ready, Ryou?"

"Of course, Yugi." Ryou answered. "But before we start, there's something I want to show you…"

"Wha…what is it, Ryou?" Yugi asked slowly, carefully eyeing Ryou.

"Just a minute, Yugi. I'm sure you'll be quite surprised…" Ryou held his hands out over his chest, and began to mumble in some sort of ancient language that Yugi vaguely understood. The hairs on Yugi's neck stood up, and an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu crept up on him, making his heart and mind grow cold as realization began to bloom.

Yugi looked at Ryou, and saw that what he had been dreading was true. A bright flash emitted from Ryou's chest area, and hanging from his neck was the Millennium Ring, which contained the soul of Ryou's alter ego, Tomb Thief Bakura. As Yugi raised his head to look into Ryou's eyes, he found not the deep chocolate eyes that held kindness and heart, but deep mauve eyes that were empty and cold. _They say the eyes are the windows into the soul…_ Yugi found himself thinking. _If that's true, I'm looking into an empty room…_ (2)

* * *

_----Back at the Kame Game Shop----_

Jou sighed and brushed the remaining dirt aside, finally finished with his easy, yet time-consuming, task. He walked to the corner of the room and stored the broom away in the closet, then walked back and sat on the counter near the register. "You almost done over there, Anzu?" he called out.

"Almost, Jounouchi," Anzu answered, voice slightly muffled due to the various shelves that were surrounding her. She ducked down to reach the bottom shelves, then said, "What about Honda? How's he doing?"

"Did somebody call me?" Honda's head popped up from behind the register, where he was busy reorganizing the display case of rare cards.

"You almost done, Honda?"

"One sec…and…done!" he called out triumphantly as the stood up. "Not bad, if I do say so myself," he said while admiring his work.

"Finished!" Anzu announced, dust flying off her blouse as she stood up. "I don't think anyone's cleaned back there in ages! Yugi must be slacking off." she jokingly commented.

"Alright! Everyone's done!" Jou said. "Let's get outta here before we miss all of Yugi and Ryou's duel."

"Not so fast, kids," Grandpa's voice floated in from the next room. "There are just a few more things I need you to do over here." Three over-exaggerated groans were his answer. "Sorry kids, but I'm an old man. I'm not strong as I used to be."

The three disappointed teens dragged themselves over to the other room, hoping that they would be done soon. _Sorry, Yugi. _Jou thought, shrugging off a feeling of discomfort. _I guess we'll only be able to catch the end. Hope you're having fun._ But as he looked out the window of the game shop, he couldn't help feeling that _something_ was wrong.

* * *

Yes, there is going to be a duel in the next chapter. For those of you who don't like duels, it isn't very long and duelish, it's more sad and painful. I'm not very good with the cards, as I've never written a duel, but I tried to use cards that Yugi had. I didn't write the whole duel out, though, just a little bit of the beginning, and the very end, which I'm working on right now. For those of you who are familiar with the decks and such, I apologize in advance for any mistakes I might make. It's still going to be a drama-filled the duel though, the parts I write. I think I'll have to change the rating because of it... Anyways, Yugi is going to in a lot of trouble now, especially when he sees how angry Bakura is... 

Also, thanks to all reviewers! (huggles all reviewers and gives out cookies) Reviewers get cookies... (plz review)

(In order of review)

_yugirules_: Wow, I guess you're hours are late at night, too. Anyways, thanks a lot for reviewing! Everything about Bakura will be revealed in the next chapter!

_tai'sgirl23:_ I'm glad you didn't think it was boring! But don't kill Bakura yet! It might really be Ryou who is only having a bad hair day, and also he needs to be alive so he can be in my story. You can kill him later, though. (huggles again) Huggles. Are. All!

_yugioh-startrekker: _Glad you liked the lastchapter, I wouldn't want you to get bored! If you like open ending, you're going to like the next fe chapters! (kliffies are kool) Anyways, hope you like this one, too!(more huggles)

_qwertopip: _It's not happening yet! Open your eyes, or you'll miss all the good stuff!

_seers-of-a-lost-paradise: _I know! I love writing Yugi and Atem all cute, they're just so great together! I'm thinking of buying Yugi and desk with a hole drilled into the floor under it, that way, he can just crawl into the hole and wait 'til class finishes! Thanks for te super nice review! Anways, Bakura's return won't be explained until next chapter, then all will be clear. Hope you like this chappie, too! Sorry for the wait!

**_C.B.A.: _**Hello, Manda! I dont' know if you got my e-mail yet...but, either way, don't feel bad! in fact, this chapter is dedicated to you, as a thanks for helping me so much! (huggles) Talk to ya later (hopefully)!

**Notes:**

1) 'grandpa' in japanese

2) Well, I stole this line from Stephen King's '_Salem's Lot._ It's said when one of the main characters come in contact with a vampire, and is thinking about how they must have lost they're soul. I just thought it fit well with Bakura.


	6. Relentless Attacker, Bakura

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yugioh or any character, not do I claim ownership. (secertly scribbles plots to steal Yugioh)

**Notes: **I had to raise the rating due to the violence of this chapter. Do you think that's about right? Or will K+ be enough? Anyway, this chapter is the longest one so far, and to be truthful, they're starting to get longer. This chapter is very sad and includes a little blood and violence, hence the rating change. Well, on to the main event!

By the way, at the end of the last chapter, Yugi had just come race to face with Tomb Thief Bakura, and Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda were all helping Yugi's grandpa at the shop.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Relentless Attacker, Bakura**

_----With Yugi and Ryou Bakura----_

Yugi stared at Bakura, his heart rate increasing rapidly, fear rushing into his very heart and soul. "_Mou hitori no boku…"_he whispered through the mind link, "_I thought you said he was gone…"_

Atem could do nothing but stare as he tried to bring understandable words to his dry mouth. "_I…I…" _was all he was able to say.

"What's the matter, Pharaoh?" Bakura shouted in mock-pity. "Surprised to see me? Oh, come now, how about a nice 'hello' for your old friend here? After all, it's been _so _long since we've seen each other last."

_"Yugi, switch with me now. Please!"_

Yugi did, noticing the urgency of his darks request. There was a bright flash from the Millennium Puzzle, and standing in Yugi's place was the ancient Pharaoh. They looked remarkably similar, except that Atem's eyes were smaller, the crimson orbs filled with anger and confusion. Blonde spikes went straight up into each of the black with red-trimmed spikes, giving him a darker, more intimidating appearance. "What are you doing here, Tomb Thief!" Atem shouted, eyes dancing with angry flames. "And how did you obtain the Millennium Ring without me sensing it? How have you been hiding its dark shadow energies!"

"Ahh…so many questions, eh Pharaoh? Well, you caught me in a good mood, so I'll answer them for you." He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning against a nearby tree, as if reminiscing about the good ol' times, and not about the hellish reality of the Shadow Realm. "Back in Battle City, Malik trapped me and his hikari in the Shadow Realm, and unfortunetly I was forced to remain there for quite a while. I wandered around aimlessly for what seemed like ages, desperately looking for a way out. Finally, after an eternity of searching, I found that a shred of my soul remained here with my vessel, and when he was asleep or in a particularly weak state of mind, I was able to use his body, but only for a short period of time.

"So, I watched from his eyes, and carefully searched for my shattered soul. Then, finally, after months of careful and secret searching, I found what I so desperately needed- the Millennium Ring(1). With it, I was able to retrieve my spirit back from the Shadow Realm…and Ryou was none the wiser. Baka(2) hikari." he spat, glaring down at his own hands like he was disgusted with them. "As for your last question, well…when you're stuck in the Shadow Realm as long, and as often, as I have been, you tend to, er…_learn _a few things. Like how to mask my soul and my ring, for example."

Atem glared daggers at Ry- no, at Bakura, hands shaking with fury. He couldn't talk, words were suddenly beyond his understanding and all he could do to keep himself from blindly attacking Bakura and beating the kuso(3) out of him was the worry he had for Bakura's hikari. All he could do for now was wait…and listen.

Bakura began to laugh. A cold, dark laugh that reached into Atem's very soul, making him feel empty and cold. "As for your first question…I'm here for my revenge… I'm going to enjoy killing you," he added casually, in a tone of voice one would use to comment on the weather.

"What do you want, Tomb Thief?" Atem questioned savagely.

"Want? I thought I just made that clear. Getting slow in your old age, are you, Pharaoh?" Atem furiously glared back. "Oh, you mean right now? Well, I want to duel you, and when I'm through…you'll wish you never met me."

_I'll do what he wants._ Atem thought,_ and when I'm through with him he'll wish he had stayed in hell! _He brought his hand to his deck, preparing to draw a card and-

_"Wait!" _Yugi called from the mind-link, shaking Atem from his deep thoughts.

_"What is it, Aibou? Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine, mou hitori no boku, but…I want to be the one to duel Ryou."_

_"What? Aibou, why? It will be dangerous…and you could get hurt."_

_"I…I know," _Yugi answered, fists shaking slightly. _"But…Ryou's already getting hurt… Last time…last time we dueled…he almost died…and I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to him this time!"_

Atem watched Yugi with admiration. Yugi's fists shook, and sorrowful tears filled his beautiful amethyst eyes._ "I…"_

_"Please…please let me do it. Maybe…maybe I can get through to Ryou somehow. The real Ryou, and…and help him somehow. I…I want to make sure he's safe."_

_"I…if that's really what you want, Aibou... But…will you promise me one thing?"_

Yugi slowly nodded, "_What is it?"_

_"Promise me you'll be careful. I don't want Ryou to be hurt…but I can't stand the thought of losing you either."_

_"Don't worry, mou hitori no boku, I'll be careful. I promise._" _I'll save you, Ryou,_ he thought to himself, _somehow._

There was another flash from the Millennium Puzzle, and this time Yugi stood there, face shining brightly with tears. Bakura eyed him oddly, sensing the shadow magic.

"What are you doing here, baka hirari?" he sneered.

"I'm here to duel you! I won't let you hurt Ryou anymore. He's been through enough already…"

_Hmm… _Bakura thought, _he wants to save this baka boy whose vessel I share… Perhaps I can use this to my advantage… Last time, he was unwilling to attack me because I used my hirari as a shield, if worst comes to worst, I will repeat my tactics, and assure my victory. There is no way he would hurt poor little Ryou…_

"Alright, Yugi. I suppose I'll allow you to duel me, then."

"I wasn't asking," Yugi snarled.

"Oh, it seems little Yugi has gained a backbone without my noticing. Well, let's see how strong you really are, little one."

"Jigoku o iku(4)," Yugi said slowly, hated dripping off each word like blood off a dagger.

Bakura narrowed his eyes and glared furiously back at Yugi, the dry humor he had enjoyed just seconds before replaced by anger and disgust. "What did you say…?" he questioned slowly.

"You heard me," Yugi answered, showing no fear, eyes shining with bravery and determination.

"I've already been there, gaki(5)," he said dryly, "and when I'm through with you, you'll be in your own personal hell!" he threw his head back and laughed, enjoying the thought of killing another innocent person, lusting for the droplets of blood and the horrible pain of his target.

"Just go. Draw your cards," Yugi said, ignoring Bakura's rants.

"Ah, I believe I'll give you the first turn, little one. Let's see how you can do without your other personality."

Yugi glared back and drew his 5 cards, watching Bakura with unflinching eyes as he did the same. He drew his 6th card, then brought his eyes down and looked at his cards, worry creeping into his mind, his expression remaining unreadable as he kept an excellent poker face._ No…only one monster card? This is a horrible opening hand…! Calm down, Yugi, you can come back from this. You just have to be careful, _he thought to himself.

"I play one monster in defensive mode," Yugi announced, watching the cards appear and hover in midair "Then I lay one card facedown. I end my turn."

"That's your opening move? Ah, well... Ore no turn(6). Draw," Bakura eyed his cards, then said, "I play Spike Seadra (Atk: 1600, Def: 1300) in attack mode and lay four cards facedown." Both duelists watched as a serpent appeared and twisted in the air, wrapping itself around Yugi's facedown monster card. "Now, I activate Stop Defense! Now, let's see what little Yugi has hidden…"

Yugi watched in horror as his card glowed and shifted into a fierce-looking wolf. Its snow-white teeth and fur shown brightly in the dark forest, giving it an almost angelic appearance, making it seemingly glow. Silver Fang (Atk: 1200, Def: 800) snapped viciously at Spike Seadra, growling and snarling irritably, as Spike Seadra snapped it's teeth, eager for a kill.

Bakura laughed, watching Yugi's Silver Fang snap at his superior monster. "Seems your little puppy is ready to play with the big dogs…too bad he won't last long." he smirked. "Spike Seadra, attack-!"

"Not so fast!" Yugi interrupted. "I activate my facedown card- Waboku! That means that-"

"Ah ah ah, Yugi, "Bakura said, raising his hand up and shaking his finger. "I'm not going to let you off that easily, you fool. Activate trap(7), Seven Tools of the Bandit! By giving up 1000LP, I can negate your trap card and destroy it. So long, Waboku," he said, waving goodbye in mock-pity. "Now, as I was saying, Spike Seadra, attack Silver Fang!"

Spike Seadra crawled up and wrapped itself around Silver Fangs neck, ignoring the high-pitched whining and howling of Silver Fang as it desperately snapped and clawed at Spike Seadra's flexible body. He began to tighten his grip on Silver Fang, his many jagged spikes cutting into Silver Fang's snow-white fur, staining the once-perfect coat with dark red blood. Silver Fang reared its head up and looked straight at Yugi, then let out a grief-stricken howl, saying a final goodbye to his master and to the world, before going limp, shaggy body dripping blood onto the forest floor, and disintegrating before Yugi's very eyes. _Silver Fang… _he thought sadly.

(LP: Yugi: 3600 Bakura: 3000)

Yugi heaved a great sigh and began to draw his card, when he noticed that Spike Seadra hadn't returned to Bakura's side of the field yet. He watched, mildly fascinated, as Spike Seadra slowly slithered closer to him. "What's- ahh!" In mid-sentence, Spike Seadra had sped over to Yugi's side of the field, tightly wrapping itself around his waist as it snapped madly at his arms and legs, leaving small puncture wounds and blood stains on the cloth. Some threads from Yugi's uniform came loose, and various rips and tears appeared all over his body, either from Spike Seadra's spikes or from its jagged fangs. Yugi screamed as he clawed at the monster, the pain soon becoming unbearable as the serpent relentlessly attacked him. He opened his mouth, desperately trying to bring air into his burning lungs, growing colder and colder as a dark fog encased itself around his mind. Yugi's eyes became cloudy and unfocused, and he dropped to the ground, only vaguely aware that he was doing so. He felt the serpent leave him and, in the back of his mind, was relieved. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep, sleep until the pain receded and he felt healthy again. He felt his eyelids droop, and his consciousness slip away when-

_"Aibou! Aibou, speak to me, please!"_

_"Mou hitori no boku…?"_

_"Yes, Aibou, it's me. Don't move yet, just stay still until you feel better."_

_"No…I'm okay…I think," _Yugi slowly tried to pull himself into a sitting position, using his elbows as levers and pushing his weak and tired body up. He winced and stopped moving halfway through, feeling an immense pain coming from his abdomen. He took a deep breath and forced himself to sit up, squinting his eyes at the pain. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, then carefully lifted his shirt, wincing as he did so.

Both of the boys' gasps in surprise, Atem's handsome crimson eyes, widening in shock, as Yugi's bright amethyst eyes filled with confusion and pain. There, just below Yugi's chest, was a deep purple and blue bruise that wrapped itself all the way around his body.

_"Aibou…" _Atem said, unable to think of anything cleverer to say.

Yugi stared at the bruise, transfixed at the mark that may forever scar him. _"I_…" he began weakly,_ "I'm…still going to fight…"_

_"What…!" _Atem said slowly, eyeing his hikari as if he were crazy. _"Aibou…you can't…! I understand that you want to save Ryou from Bakura, but…if…if you fail…I can't stand to think what could happen to you… I don't want you to get hurt, Aibou…it would be my fault…"_

Yugi smiled slightly, raising his head up to look his other self in the eyes. _"I want to do this Atem…" _he said quietly, _"I _have _to do this… Please…please let me save him. I…I don't' want him to be hurt because of me… Besides, if…if I get hurt…it won't be your fault, I promise…! I should probably listen to you right now, but…I…I just have to do this… Will you please…please let me, mou hitori no boku…?"_

Atem was silent as he listened to Yugi's heartfelt speech, then he closed his eyes, a look of deep thought coming across his handsome features. Finally he opened them, staring straight at Yugi, concern etched into his features, and said, _"Okay, Aibou. If that is what you truly wish, then I will not stand in your way."_

Yugi smiled and nodded, then prepared to stand up, when Atem interrupted him with one final request.

_"Wait, Aibou… Before you do anything, you have to promise me one thing."_

_"What is it, mou hitori no boku?"_

_"Promise me…that you will protect yourself at all costs. You see…I don't' want _you_ to be hurt because of _me_, Aibou."_

Yugi smiled again, glad that he had such a caring person as a spirit, and replied_, "I promise."_

Yugi blinked and lowered his head, then pushed himself up and slowly lowered himself to the ground, landing on his knees. He raised his head and saw Bakura, smirking as he watched little Yugi struggle to stand. He smiled wickedly and began to walk toward Yugi; a slow, casual trot, as if he were taking a quiet stroll in the park (8). He reached Yugi and bent down so he was at eye level.

"Conversing with your dark side, eh little Yugi? Well…he's not going to help you now… _No_ one can help you now…" He straightened and looked at Yugi, eyeing him as if he were a piece of garbage. "Now get up!" he shouted as he raised his leg and promptly kicked Yugi in his already-bruised stomach, causing the small boy to double over and protectively wrap his arms around it, pitching forward as a spurt of blood shot out of his mouth. Soon a steady stream ran down his chin as he fell facedown in the grassy floor, gasping for air and moaning in pain.

"Foolish hikari," Bakura spat, "I'm going to kill you before you even realize it." He turned and walked back to his side of the playing field. "And I'm not even done with my turn yet. I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master, which gives me 1000LPs. So, let's see where we stand; I have 4000LPs and remain unscathed; you, on the other hand, have 3600, and you're already on the ground…doesn't look to good, does it gaki…?" he said as he returned to his playing field.

_"Aibou! Are you okay!"_

_"I'm fine, mou hitori no boku… I'm fine." _Yugi took deep breaths to calm himself, then slowly stood up, knees shaking violently. His eyes Bakura, who was laughing as he watched Yugi force himself to stand.

"Ready, little Yugi?" he taunted.

"I'm ready, Bakura. And when we're through, you're going to be sorry you ever hurt Ryou!" Yugi's eyes shown brightly as he stood up to Bakura, and he felt braver than he had ever felt in his life. But as Bakura merely laughed at his threats, a small cloud of doubt came over his heart, telling him that something was wrong…

If only he had listened…

_----30 minutes later----_

_----Back at the Kame Game Shop----_

"My back…it's killin' me!" Jounouchi moaned, throwing himself in a nearby chair and leaning his head back, glad to have a break.

"Same here…this is the last time I ever agree to help Yugi's grandpa." joined in Honda, taking up the chair next to Jounouchi's.

"I'm going to kill Yugi when I see him(9)! So much work…!" chimed Anzu, walking up to the boys. She looked around and found that there were no more seats; sighing, she went up to Jounouchi and dropped herself into his lap, drawing a surprised gasp from the unsuspecting Jou.

"Anzu!" he cried, "Ya gotta warn people when ya do something like that!"

Anzu playfully slapped Jounouchi in the back of the head. "Shut up, Jou," she said. "Now is not a good time to be arguing."

Jou sighed and leaned back in the chair. _I'm too tired to even argue with her…maybe later I'll pull up her skirt…_ A perverted smile crept onto his face as he thought this.

"Jou, what're you so happy about?" Honda asked.

"Uh…nothing…!" Jou said, quickly masking his smile. "Hey, where's Jii-chan? Can we go now, or do we have to do some more stuff?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Jii-chan shouted from the other room. He walked in, face looking slightly flushed, but not half as bad as the three teens that sat in front of him. "Thanks for all your help, kids. I don't think Yugi and I would have ever finished if it weren't for you three. You can go ahead and leave now, when Yugi gets back we can finished the rest."

"Yes!" Jou shouted, "Free at last!" He jumped out of the chair, pumping his fist overdramatically. "Come on, guys. Yugi and Ryou and having all the fun! Let's go find 'em!" And with that he rushed out of the door.

_He's so rude sometimes…_ "Good-bye, Jii-chan! Have a nice day," Anzu said, politely bowing before rushing after Jou.

"See ya later, Jii-chan! Anytime ya need help, just…get Yugi!" Honda said, suddenly remembering the pain of helping Yugi's grandpa.

"Good-bye kids! Have fun!" Jii-chan shouted to the backs of the three eager teens. He turned and walked back into the next room, peering into a few of the various boxes Jou, Honda, and Anzu and been packing. He reached into one and pulled out a slightly worn-out blue baby blanket. _I remember this… I got this for Yugi and his 3rd birthday…he could never sleep without this thing…_ He gently folded the blanket and put it back in the box, smiling at the memory. _Ah, Yugi…what would I ever do without you…?_

_

* * *

_

"Yugi! Where are ya, pal?" Jou shouted, running through the park where he had seen Ryou and Yugi enter earlier. "Hey, guys, can ya see Yugi anywhere?"

"No…maybe Ryou and Yugi decided to go somewhere else after they finished…" Anzu said.

"Maybe…" Jou said unconvincingly, "But what if- hey, you hear that?" Jou perked his ears, silencing the questioning Anzu and Honda, when he heard it again. A horrible, pained scream that would forever haunt his memories. "That voice…it's Yugi!" Jou quickly ran in the direction of the scream, panic flooding through him as if a dam had burst. He ran into the forest trees, straining his ears to try to find the source of the sound.

"Ahhhh!"

_There it is again! Where the hell's it coming from? _He ran forward and ducked under one final branch, then stopped suddenly, a loud gasp escaping him. Yugi was standing just feet away from him, covered in blood, cuts, and bruises, uniform frayed and cut, looking as if he had just been jumped. Jou turned and saw Ryou crouched on the ground about 20 feet away from Yugi, eyes half-shut and looking as if he was barely conscious. Yugi was watching Ryou intently, a look of pain and confusion on his innocent features. Each of them was wearing a duel disk.

"Yugi…Ryou…" he said to himself. "What the hell's goin' on!"

* * *

I'm so evil, another cliffie! In the next chaper, I'm going to back-track and take you through Yugi and Ryou's side of the story. And, what do you think of the duel so far? You can probably tell I've never done it before, but I tried as hard as I could, so please be nice. If you want to correct me on anything I did wrong, feel free to tell me in my review. 

Next, I would like to say how disappointed I am. Over 400 hits and only 37 reviews! What is this world coming to! Seriously, guys, whenever I get a good reviews, I'm totally happy all day long. It only takes about 5 seconds, and you don't ever have to say much. Even "good" will be nice, though it is better to get long and thought-out reviews. And, to the loyal reviewers so far, here is your own little section! (huggles all reviewers and passes out plushies)

(In order of review)

_yugirules: _If you didn't like that cliffie, you're really going to hate this one. I'm glad you've been looking foward to this! I'll try to post the next one as soon as possible! Thanks for always reviewing! (huggles)

_seers-of-a-lost-paradise: _Lol, yup, Jii-chan sures does getting others to help him out. But he's old! He can't help it! (secretly accepts bribe from Jii-chan to write others doing the work for him) (clears throat) Anyway, this chapter clears up a lot of questions, but also raises_ so_ many more! Bakura is so mean and evil...poor Yugi!(cries) Thanks for reviewing my chapters! Your reviews are always so nice! (gives you huggles and a desk with a built in hole) Enjoy!

_qwertopip: _(catches qwertopip peeking) Aha! See? You don't really want to miss this!

_tai'sgirl23: _I bet you're hating the cliffie in this chappie... (huggles you) Don't worry, I'l try to update really soon! Glad you like the cookies, they were homeade, you know! Uh oh...(looks at above chapter) (whispers) Bakura...run away as fast as you can! (Bakura blinks) (sees tai'sgirl23 angrily approaching him) (runs)

_yugioh-startrekker: _Yay! (happily eats cookies) Yummy! (huggles you) Thanks so much for reviewing all my chapters! Every time I get a review I just can't help but smile! Thanks a lot! (huggles again)

_candyshopper: _Thanks for the compliment! Glad you're enjoying this!

**_C.B.A: _**I love Bakura, too! He's just so good at being bad! (lame, lol) Thanks for analyzing the chapters, I love when I get to see what people think about certain parts I write. It makes me happy! (randomly huggles) Thanks for the heads up on 'anyways' I never knew that before, and I was always a little unsure about which it was. Oh, and you're wecome for the dedication! You really deserved it! But don't cry, cuz then I'll start crying! Lol,I hate when that happens. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! It was really fun to write, and I want to see peoples reaction on it, just to see what they think. Well, I guess I'll talk to ya later! Love ya!

**Notes: **_(all words are in japanese) _If you see I'm using a word wrong, please correct me. I don't want to ness anything up.

1) If you're wondering where the Millennium Ring went, I dont' know the answer. Let's just pretend it suddenly disappeared somewhere and Bakura somehow found it. Sorry if there's any confusion.

2) 'idiot' or 'stupid'

3) 'shit'

4) 'go to hell'

5) 'brat'

6) 'my turn'

7) I'm not really sure of the rules on trap card, so I'm sorry if I wrote it wrong. It's too late to change anything now, butI just want to let ya'll know I really tried.

8) Okay, I know _technically_ he's in a park, but...he's not taking a queit stroll.

9) Wow...three cheers for dramatic irony.


	7. Promises Were Made To Be Broken

**Disclaimer: **Yugioh is the sole property of creater Kazuki Takahashi. I do not claim to own any part of it. But if I did...(eyes glaze over dreamily)

**Notes:** In the last chapter, it was a horrible cliffie in which Jou walked in to see Ryou and Yugi both in pain. In this chapter, we backtrack to see what happened with Ryou and Yugi. I skipped ahead, as you can plainly see, but it's only because I don't think I could ever write a whole duel. Just try to fill in the blanks as best you can. Now, before I start, some parts may be confusing because they are happening simultainiously. In most cases, you'll be able to tell, but it might be confusing at times. If you have any trouble understanding, please feel free to say so in a review or e-mail, and I will try to clear things up as best as I can. Now, without futher adu, here is Chapter 7!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Promises Were Made To Be Broken**

_----25 minutes after the duel started----_

_----Back with Yugi and Bakura----_

(LP: Yugi: 100 Bakura: 300)

Yugi groaned as he pulled himself up from yet another one of Bakura's relentless attacks, trying his hardest to ignore the Tomb Thiefs' evil laughter. Yugi was horribly beaten, but, somehow, Bakura had remained untouched and healthy, despite the various times Yugi had attacked him. _He must be using Shadow Magic to deflect my attacks… How else could he stay so safe…? _Shaking his head, he stood upright, knees trembling furiously as he began to draw his next card.

_"Are you sure you're okay, Aibou…? I can help if you want…" _Atem was furious with Bakura, and he wanted nothing more than to rush forward and beat Bakura into a bloody mess. But he understood why Yugi didn't want any help, and he wanted to prove, yet again, to his hikari that he trusted him enough to let him win on his own. Still…he was worried about his partner, and he wanted to give Yugi an opportunity to ask for his help, even if he didn't want it…

_"I'm…I'm okay, mou hitori no boku…" _Yugi stuttered, _"I…I'm fine, I swear. Besides…if I can draw the right card, this duel will be over in one turn…"_

"There's no use, Yugi," Bakura called from across the field. "There are precious few creatures in the game of duel monsters that can defeat my all-powerful Dark Necrofear (Atk: 2200, Def: 2800), and I'm quite sure I've destroyed most of _yours_ anyways. Besides, I have a feeling you won't be drawing one before your turn ends… You may as well just give up now, and perhaps I'll show you a little mercy when I finish you off. Perhaps…"

Yugi's eyes shown with trust and determination as he brought his hand to the duel disk. _Heart of the cards…please…guide me…_ Yugi grabbed the card between his index and middle finger, then gracefully pulled it out to his side, not yet looking at the card he has drawn. _Please be the right card…please…_

He slowly brought the card to his face, then opened his eyes and peeked at the image on the card. _Thank you! Yes!_ A bright smile appeared on his face, widening with each passing second. "It's over, Bakura!" he shouted.

"What?" Bakura asked, surprised at Yugi's lack of fear.

"You may have defeated him once, Bakura! But with no facedown cards, you and your monster are finished!" he shouted as he threw his card on the duel disk with great finesse, "I play, Monster Reborn, to bring back- the Dark Magician (Atk: 2500, Def: 2000)!"

Both duelists watched as a card appeared in midair, glowing brightly for a moment, then shifting and growing into a large cross. The cross maintained the eerie glow as a coffin materialized in front of it, also glowing, then dropped to the ground with a dull thud. The lid of the coffin creakily lifted and fell to the ground beside it, another dull thud coming from the dirt below. Slowly, a purple-robed person rose from the coffin, and began to move into a vertical position, hovering eerily over the coffin like a ghost, its beautiful robe elegantly flowing behind him, despite the fact that there was no wind. Bakura watched with growing horror as the Dark Magician faced towards him, a calm, mysterious look on his normally emotionless face… Suddenly, his violet orbs snapped open, and he looked accusingly at Bakura, eyes dancing with a fire that mysteriously echoed Atem's.

"Dark Magician!" Yugi shouted, eyes filled with a fiery passion, "Atta-"

"Stop, Yugi!" Bakura shouted, interrupting Yugi just before he called his attack. He brought his gaze down to the Millennium Ring which hung around his neck. "Sumani(1)…" he said slowly, " I have one…_trump_ card…and I think I'll play it now. Have fun…_hikari _Yugi."

As the finished his sentence, the Millennium Ring flashed brilliantly, leaving Yugi with a bright circle in the center of his vision. He furiously blinked it away, waiting for his vision to return to him, when a pained-filled voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Y-yugi…?" it asked timidly.

_Please, no! _Yugi thought desperately.

"Yugi…where am I…? Ah..!" it groaned, "Yugi…I don't feel so well. I…I think something's wrong with me…I don't remember what happened…how did I get here…? Why are we dueling…?"

Yugi looked ahead to see Ryou, clutching his stomach in pain, swaying on his obviously weak knees. "Ryou…" he said quietly, concern obvious in his voice.

"Yugi…" Ryou whispered as he fell forward suddenly, landing hard on his hands and knees. He screamed quietly, then fell silent, his eyes closing halfway and looking empty and emotionless.

_Oh god…I…it's all my fault…! Bakura…he must have used his Shadow magic to deflect my attacks…and send them straight to Ryou's soul…! Every time I attacked Bakura, Ryou was the one who felt the damage… All the pain he's in right now…it's all because of me… If I attack him again and win the duel…he…he could…die…"_

"What the hell's goin' on?"

Yugi snapped his head around to see Jou, who had just entered the forest area, gaping at the scene before his eyes.

"Ryou!" Jounouchi called loudly and angrily after a moment of silence, his mood swiftly changing from confusion to anger. "Kisama(2)…! What the hell did you do to Yugi?"

"Jou…" Yugi weakly said, "It's…it's not what you think…!"

Jou snapped his head around to face Yugi. "Well what the hell am I supposed to think Yugi!" he shouted, "You're over there looking like kuso(3) and Ryou's over there looking like he's just tired from beating it out of you! It was supposed to be a friendly duel!"

"Jou…" Yugi weakly pleaded, "Please…that's…that's not Ryou…! It's…Bakura.."

Jou stared at Ryou furiously a few moments more, then slowly turned his attention back to Yugi. "Mazaka(4)…" he whispered, just loud enough for Yugi to hear.

"No, Jou-chan…it's true. Please, Jou…don't try to help me… This is a Shadow Duel, and I don't want you to get hurt because of me… I…I have to do this on my own…"

Jou opened his mouth to protest and began walking foward, but was immediately interrupted by Yugi.

"If you trust me, Jou, you won't take one step closer. If you trust me…you'll help me by letting me do this alone…"

Jou mutely stared at Yugi, mouth opened slightly, clearly at a loss for words. He looked into Yugi's deep amethyst eyes and saw that they were filled with a fiery blaze of determination, and before he knew what he was doing, he nodded, as if hypnotized by the small boys' strength and determination.

Yugi softly smiled, turning away from Jou to face Ryou.

"Yugi…" Ryou moaned, his chocolate-colored eyes still cold and empty. "Please…help me…"

_I can't do it…_

_"Mou hirtori no boku…?"_

_"Y-yes, Aibou?" _Atem stuttered, struggling to keep his composure after realizing what Bakura had done to Ryou. He wanted desperately to go over to Ryou, yank the Millennium Ring off his chest, and furiously shake it until the Tomb Thief appeared so he could beat the Bakura into a bloody mess.

_"Will…will you promise me something…?"_

_"What is it, Aibou…?" _Atem asked, sensing that he wouldn't like what Yugi wanted him to promise.

Yugi shook his head. _"I won't tell you until you promise."_

_"Aibou, that's-"_

_"Please, mou hitori no boku…please…"_

Atem hesitated for a moment, completely against making a promise he might not be able to keep; but, he didn't want to let Yugi down. Besides that, he could sense that Yugi was determined, and would not take 'no' for an answer. After a short stare-down, Atem quietly said, _"I promise…"_

Yugi let out a sigh of relief and said, _"You just promised not to take over, no matter what I do, and no matter how much you want to stop me from doing it." _He sighed again, breathing heavily, the pain obviously beginning to affect him. _"I'm…I 'm going to forfeit the duel…"_

Atem's dark crimson eyes widened in shock, _"Aibou…you can't! This is a Shadow Duel, and if you lose…I…"_

_"I know, mou hitori no boku," _Yugi said, nodding,

_"But if I take over-"_

_"No," _Yugi said firmly, _"I have to do this on my own…"_

_"But Aibou…what about your promise to me? You promised me you'd protect yourself at all costs! Doesn't that mean anything to you…?_

Yugi lowered his eyes to the ground, nodding slowly. _"Of course if does, mou hitori no boku… But…this is bigger than the both of us… And that is one promise I cannot keep…"_

Yugi didn't wait for Atem's reply; instead, he slowly raised his weak and trembling hand, letting it drift slowly over to the top of his duel disk. Then he placed it firmly on top of his cards.

"I…I surrender, Ryou…" Yugi whispered. His Dark Magician slowly turned to face his master, violet eyes shining with admiration. He watched Yugi for a moment, then nodded slightly, as if accepting and agreeing to Yugi's plan. Slowly, he faded into the darkness of the forest, along with all of Yugi other cards on the field. Bakura's though, stayed in the exact same place, eyeing Yugi with a sick lust in it's eyes, obviously impatient to make him squirm and wriggle in pain.

Ryou blankly stared up at Yugi, only vaguely aware of the monster on the field, confusion dully shining through is handsome features. "Yugi…" he said weakly, "What are you talking about…? Wha…what's going on…?" He slowly looked around the forest clearing, finally seeing Jounouchi standing in the exact same spot Yugi had told him to stay him, watching fearfully but silently.

"Yugi…" Jou said to himself, torn between wanting to save Yugi and between promising not to help him. _I never break a promise to a friend…but…I also promised I'd always be there for him…to protect him… What do I do…?_

"Jou…?" Ryou questioned, "What are you-ahh!" Ryou's words were cut off by a horrible pain-filled scream, a mix between a moan and gasp. He reared up on his knees, hands reaching up and burying themselves in his long spiky hair, clenching tightly to his head. "What's going on!" he shouted, his voice full of pain and misery. "Yugi…help me! Aahhh!" Ryou then screamed, a long and loud moan, his voice slowly lowering in volume, eventually stopping completely. Ryou fell forward, using his hands to break his fall. After a moment, he stood up, hair sticking up wildly, eyes holding the mad glint they had held just moments earlier. The Millennium Ring glowed brightly against his chest.

"I knew you would fall for that, _sweet, innocent, hikari,"_ Bakura taunted, laughing madly as he finished his statement. "You would never attack Ryou, not after what nearly happened last time," He walked up to Yugi, glaring at him with hate in his cold eyes. "I'll see you in hell," he snarled hatred and anger dripping off each word.

"Dark Necrofear!" he shouted, "Attack Yugi with everything you've got! _Kill _him!"

Time seemed to stand still(5).

Dark Necrofear swiftly flew across the field, eager to attack Yugi with all it's might, while a terrified Yugi and Jounouchi looked on. Jou's fists violently trembled as he shifted his vision from Yugi to Ryou, clearly unsure of which promise he could keep to Yugi. _Yugi…why did you have to make me promise you…? I don't know what to do…_

Yugi stood still, his eyes facing the ground below, not even acknowledging the fact that a bloodthirsty monster was about to devour him. Yugi was scared, no, terrified, but despite that, he was smiling, knowing that he was doing the right thing.

Atem watched through Yugi's eyes, wanting desperately to take over and help Yugi. But in his heart, he knew he couldn't break his promise, despite how much he wanted to. Terrified, he looked on, tears springing to his handsome crimson eyes. Atem made no attempt to brush them away, nor did he care, but continued to look on as Dark Necrofear moved closer and closer to his fallen aibou…

"Yugi…NO! Please don't go through with this!" Jou suddenly cried, desperately rushing forward, finally making his decision. _What good is keeping a promise if there's no one to promise to anymore! _He quickly stood in front of Yugi, throwing his arms out as far as they would go, frantically trying to protect Yugi as well as he could.

Yugi's head snapped up, the strange contentness he had felt just seconds earlier instantly disappearing; terror clawed his way into his soul as only one thought passed through is mind: _I can't let another per son get hurt because of me!_

"Jou! Please get out of the way!" he cried, taking a step towards his friend. "I can protect myself! I have to do this if I want to save him!" …_and you…_ he thought to himself. Yugi threw his arms towards Jounouchi and, with his last burst of strength, pushed him violently to the side, drawing a surprised gasp from the much stronger boy, causing him to stumble backwards and fall several feet away…just enough to keep him away from the attacking monster.

"AHHH!" Yugi amethyst eyes widened with fear, and he screamed with all his might as Dark Necrofear reached him, eagerly reaching out it's razor-sharp claws and slashing his arms and legs, adding more rips to the already-torn leather and drawing more blood from the new wounds. Yugi moaned in pain and fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back into his head, his legs furiously trembling and unable to hold his weight up any longer. The monster seemed unfazed by Yugi's pain, and continued to wildly slash at his weak body, taking the boy further and further into unconsciousness as it punched and swiped with all its might.

Seconds felt like eternity to the suffering hikari, and his vision began to become cloudy and unfocused as he felt himself slipping into the shadows. Dark Necrofear, as if sensing that its victim was losing his battle and wanting to make one last remaining mark, swiftly raised its claw as high as it would go, bringing it down with one swiping motion, right across Yugi's chest. The bruised skin cut open immediately, gushing blood out of the open wound as it ran freely down his shirt, permanently staining the fabric with it's sickening dark color. Yugi let out one last moan of pain and allowed his eyes to droop slowly.

_"Aibou! Aibou!"_

Yugi's eyes opened slightly, and he tried to stay awake to find out who was calling him. _"I'm sorry…" _he said to the darkness, to himself, and to the world. Then, he closed his eyes, drifting away into the corners of his mind and soul.

_"Aibou! Aibou!" _Atem called, frantically trying to keep Yugi from passing out, knowing if he did, there was a chance he would never wake up. _"You promised you'd protect yourself, Aibou, please don't lie to me…!" _He felt Yugi drift away and fall to the shadows, sensing that he would be unable to talk to him any longer.

_Aibou's mind link has closed…but he never closes it…unless… No! He's not… Oh, god, it's all my fault! _he cried, transparent from falling to his knees. He tried to reach out to Yugi and touch his face, but his hand fell right through, not even leaving a mark on the younger teens face.

_"These hands…" _Atem said, raising his hands to eye level and examining them closely. _"These hands have caused Aibou to be hurt… I sensed something was wrong…why didn't I tell him! I could have stopped all this from happening! I'm the one that told him Bakura was gone! Because of me…he's…he's going to… _Atems' thoughts were cut off as all of the exhaustion from Yugi's duel suddenly caught up with him, draining him of his energy. _"No…" _he thought, _"Aibou…" _His crimson eyes began to dull as he followed Yugi into unconsciousness, falling to his side, his transparent form landing on top of his fallen aibou, before disappearing and fading into the surrounding shadows.

* * *

"AHHH!" 

Jounouchi lay in complete and utter shock on the cold forest floor, panic flooding through his entire being, reaching into the very depths of his soul. He lay quietly for a few seconds more, trying to soak in what he had just witnessed. "Y-yugi…?" he tentatively called, finally regaining the ability to think and talk. He waited for a moment, hoping against hope that Yugi would greet him warmly so they could walk home together and forget this horrible incident.

Finally, after a few moments of fruitless waiting, Jou cautiously began to stand, knees shaking slightly for fear of what he might find. "Yug…?" he called again, praying that Yugi would answer. He looked over to where he had been standing before Yugi forced him out of the way. "Yugi…!" he shouted, tears already leaking out of his light hazel eyes as he rushed over to his the mangled, bleeding, and unconscious body of Yugi. He wearily fell to his knees, taking Yugi's limp hand in his own, and squeezing if softly, praying for a reaction from the beaten teen. "Oh, god… Guys! Get over here, quick! Yugi…Yugi's hurt!" He shouted, panic showing clearly in his broken voice. He waited for Anzu and Honda to arrive, too terrified and grief-stricken to think of anything else to do but wait.

Wait…and hope.

"Jou…?" Anzu's voice timidly called, just reaching Jou's ears as she slowly emerged into the dark forest.

"What happened, Jounouchi?" Honda asked, coming up right behind Anzu. "One second you were shouting you heard something and the next you were gone… We were looking for ya but… What are you doing here, anyway?"

They both walked a little further, finally seeing Jou, who looked up at them, tears freely running down his face as he held Yugi's hand.

"Yugi…?" Anzu asked, hesitantly at first, unsure of what to do. "Yugi!" Panic overtaking her, she rushed over to his side, putting her hands over his bleeding chest. Startled, she pulled them up again, dark red blood slowly dripping off the ends of her fingertips. "Yugi…!" She cried, hot tears running down her attractive face.

"What the…!" Honda said, unable to think of anything to say or do. After a moment, he clumsily took off his jacket, feeling finally coming into his mind and body, and placed it over Yugi. "I'll…I'll go call an ambulance!" he called over his shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to mask the pain and uncertainty in his voice.

Jou dimly watched Honda's back as he left the forest, slowly beginning to realize the severity of the situation. "Oh god…" he said to himself, voice not registering with the panic-stricken Anzu. "It's all my fault!" he called out to no one, looking into Yugi's scratched and bleeding face. "I'm so sorry Yugi…!" he moaned, "I'll get Bakura…I promise you. I'll get him…!" he turned his attention towards the spot where Bakura had been only a few moments ago, thinking he had heard a twig break, seeing nothing but the swaying forest trees. He eyed it closely for a moment, then turned his head toward the sky. "You hear me, Bakura?" he shouted to the treetops, "I'll get you! I'll kill you for what you did to Yugi!"

_----End of Flashback----_

_

* * *

_

Yay! This was my favorite chapter to write so far. It's weird, most of the time, when I write, I get into a kind of...'zone', and I dont' really see what I write until I look back and read over it. Then I'm like, "Wow, did I write that?" I swear, the other day while I was reading over it, I heard the MCR music video 'Helena' come on in the other room, and I ran to see in. I was feeling all sad because of what I just read, and the song did _not _help. I started crying, I really did! It was so weird! I'm not bragging or anything, I just think it's weird that the story kind of writes itself. Anyway, horray! Last chapter of the flashback! What did you loyal reviewers think of it? (huggles all old reviewers and also the new ones) (hands out lolly-pops) Lol, sorry, but I'm starting to lose all my money giving you guys stuff. You know, I spoil you...(huggles)

Reviewers (In order of review):

_yugirules:_ (huggles) Thanks for the compliment! Sorry this chappie wasn't up sooner! Hope you liked this one, too!

_tai'sgirl23: _Oh, crap. If that made you mad, you're gonna be super pissed now. (whispers to Bakura) "Run if you want don't want to be mauled by and angry fan!" (Bakura blinks) (runs and hides in a garbage can) (shifty) Anyway, glad you like the plushie! I love them too! Sorry for not updating sooner, but it's here now! Thanks for the compliment, too, the duel was hard, but fun, to write. I'm glad you appreciate it! (huggles you again)

_qwertopip:_ Glad you like the chappie! If you liked the graphics in the last one, you're definately going to enjoy this one!

_yugioh-startrekker: _I'm glad you like the torture parts, they were hard, but fun, and sad to write, and it's good to know peole enjoyed my hard work. Good luck on your fic, I hope it comes out well! I'll be sure to check it out when you post it!

_IceBaby911:_ Yay! A new reviewer! (huggles you extra hard) Glad the beginning chapters made you sad, they were meant to, but sowwy for making you cwy! (hands you a tissue) Anyway, hope you enjoy the rest of the fic! Btw, I love your fic, Lovers Betrayal! It's really great! I think I reviewed on it...but I'm not too sure. I hope I did, I dont' wanna be a hypocrite... Anyway, hope you like the rest! (huggles you again)

_seers-of-a-lost-paradise: _Yay! Glad you liked the duel, I hope you like this part, too! I have no idea how old Jii-chan is, but if I were old I'd pretend not to be able to do stuff so I could guilt people helping me. (Lol, I'm evil) And, yeah,a lot of people and going to want to kill Bakura now! Just be easy...he's a main character. You can kill him when I'm done! Anyway, you're not going to find the new chappie there! It's right here! Sowwy for making you wait...but I'm glad you were so patient! (huggles you) Hope you like this part!

_Darks00:_ Thanks for reviewing here! I really like your story, and I'm glad you liked mine, too!

**_C.B.A: _**Yeah, I liked making Yugi brave, I think he would be willing to do anything to save his friends (as you can see here). He doesn't like Bakura hurting Ryou, and he's quick to voice his opinion because he feels so strongly about it. (cheers for Yugi) Thanks for all the compliments, and for taking the time to write a long and insightful review! (huggles you) Oh, and yay! I was wondering if some people knew that Bakura did it, I guess some did! Yay for you! And you're not dumb! (huggles you and hands you lolly) Btw, sorry I haven't e-mailed you back yet, my stupid computer won't let me get or send e-mails. It'll probably work if I turn the computer off and wait a day, but I didn't want to wait to post this chapter. So, I'll e-mail you tomorrow! See ya later! (huggles you again)

_yugilover#1:_ Yay, a new reviewer! Glad you liked this chappie! Aren't you lucky, you didn't have to wait as long as everyone else!

Oh, and anonomous reviews are now accepted and welcomed. I didn't ever realize I had to enable them to be allowed, I figured it out earlier today. So, for those of you who won't have an account or are too lazy to log in, sorry for any inconvinience! (huggles you)

**Notes**_ (all words are in Japanese):_

1) This can mean many things, such as 'I'm sorry' 'Excuse me' or 'thank you'. I'm using it here as 'It's not over.'

2) A very rude way of saying 'you'

3) 'shit'

4) 'no way', 'never', 'impossible'

5) The next few parts are when it happens simultainiously. I hope there wasn't any confusion, but if there was, feel free to voice it, and I'll try to make it clearer.

Also, I don't know when I can get the next chapter up. It might be longer than a week, but I hope not by too much longer. I have to do a project before school starts, and I also have to go to band camp everyday. (boo!) Sorry, I really would rather be writing this! I'll try to get it up as soon as I can!


	8. A Promise Worth Keeping

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! (bows overly dramatically) I am super-crazy-really sorry for not posting this chapter up sooner. I was having trouble finishing Chapter 9, so I didn't want to post this one yet. In fact, I'm still not through with it, but if I finish all my homework I can have a good 2 hours to finish it up tonight. Next chappie is Atem's point of view at the hospital, so I wanted to write it as well as I could. I'm really really sorry! But, I guess that's enough of my apology, hope ya'll aren't mad! But you don't want to read this, skip down to see chappie 8!

**Disclaimer: **Yu-gi-oh is the sole property of creator Kazuki Takahashi. I own nothing. (whispers under breath) Except Yugi...(lawyer appears out of nowhere and hits me on head) Ow! Okay, okay, I don't own Yu-gi-oh!Are you happy now? (lawyer hits me again) Hey! What was that for! (lawyer shrugs and laughs) Stupid lawyer...(shakes fist behind back...aftermoving a good 2 feet away from the lawyer)

* * *

**Chapter 8: A Promise Worth Keeping**

_----The morning after----_

Jounouchi snapped awake in bed, swiftly shooting upwards, only to find himself tangled in the off-white bed sheets. He was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, clutching his hand to his chest to slow his rapidly beating heart.

_Please be a dream… _he thought to himself_. Please be a dream…! Yugi…I…_

Still panting, he gently untangled his arm from the sheets and began to massage his chest by rubbing small circles on it, unconsciously wincing a bit a he did so. Suddenly, he stopped, perplexedly staring down at his chest as an unexplainable anxiety began to fill his mind. Cautiously, he reached down and lifted his shirt up to his shoulders, light hazel eyes now firmly planted on the ceiling above, as if afraid of what he would see if he looked down. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head and looked at his muscular bare-chest, hot tears forming at the corners of his eyes as realization hit him and reality sunk in.

There, on his chest, was a black-and-blue bruise that covered the area of a small hand. It was directly in the place where Yugi had pushed him. _Yugi…_Jou thought as he silently cried. _It wasn't a dream…! Oh, god…it's my fault this happened to you…! I'm…I'm so sorry…_

_Yugi…! What if something happened to him during the night! What if…!_

Immediately, Jounouchi leaped up from the bed and ran to the phone, dialing the hospitals number three different times before finally getting the correct place.

"H-hello?" he asked the person on the other line, trying unsuccessfully to mask the pain in his voice. "Y-yes, I was wondering if you could tell me about Yugi Mutou. Is…is he okay…?"

Short pause, "No change…" A part of Jou was thankful that Yugi was still alive, but…another part of him died a little, feeling guilt beyond anything he had ever known. More tears ran down his light cheeks, leaving a trail of wetness that resembled a dying waterfall.

Another pause, "Okay…arigato(1), please let me know if anything changes…" He replaced put the phone back and the hook, slowly sinking down to the floor, only dimly aware that he was doing so. His thoughts were clouded, hazy, and distant, shifting from guilt to sadness to…nothingness.

Moments passed, but, for all Jounouchi knew, it could have been days, weeks, even years. Finally, tears still falling down his damp and red eyes, his raised his head, staring at the picture on his desk which showed the entire gang at an amusement park 6 months ago. It showed Yugi standing in the center, brilliantly smiling at the camera, warm amethyst eyes shining with a deep intensity. Jou was standing directly behind him, between Anzu and Honda, all of them laughing with pure joy. Next to Honda was Ryou, softly smiling; anyone who had seen Ryou smile would know that this smile was forced.

_Yugi…Ryou…you've both suffered so much… _he quickly lifted his head, eyes now showing an angry glare as he began to understand who had caused most of their problems.

_Bakura…! Teme(2)…you're the one that started this game of death with Yugi! And now, I'm going to finish it, by making you save him… Somehow…I'll make you pay…!_

Jou suddenly leaped up from the floor and ran out of his room, sprinting to the front door, dodging and hopping over the various items that cluttered the room. Once there, he flung the door open, and quickly ran down the apartment steps through the double doors.

_Bakura…_ he thought to himself while jogging the crowded streets of Domino. _I know you must be here somewhere… I thought I heard something yesterday after you dueled Yugi…you must have run away. I'll find you Bakura… I know there must be some way to reverse the harm you did to Yugi with your Shadow Magic…there must be…! I'll find you, Bakura, and I'll get my revenge on you! For Yugi!_

He ran throughout Domino, searching ever building he could think of that the Tomb Thief would hide, searching anywhere that would conceal Bakura. Finally, an hour after beginning his search, he stopped and leaned against a building, resting his hands on his knees and lowering his head in defeat.

_I'll never find him…for all I know he left the city already… Maybe…maybe Yugi will just… _he feverishly shook his head, forcing himself not to give up. _I can't lose hope yet! Think, Katsuya, where could he be hiding…? _A frown appearing on his face, as Jou raked his mind for any clue that might jog his mind and help him think of a place that hadn't occurred to him yet.

_Think, Katsu…where would Bakura hide…?_

Suddenly, he snapped his head up, eyes widening with realization. _Maybe my problem is …I'm not looking for the right person! Now…where would Ryou hide…?_

_----Flashback----_

_"Where's Ryou…? He promised he'd be here 15 minutes ago…" Honda wondered, looking down the sidewalk for a sign of the gorgeous white-haired boy._

_"The movie's about to start…" Anzu commented. "Maybe he forgot…or he's sleeping or something…"_

_"I don't think so, Anzu…" Yugi shyly disagreed, "We went and banged on his door 5 times already. Even the people in the apartment building beside this one complained. _Nobody_ could sleep through that. Besides, we called him just before we left to come to his apartment. I know Ryou can be forgetful, but I'm pretty sure even _he'_s not _that _bad."_

_"I think Yug's right. Maybe Ryou just…" Jou stopped mid-sentence, having no clue as to what Ryou was doing. The four stood on the sidewalk in front of Ryou's apartment, eyes searching in all directions for a sign of their friend._

_"Um…" Honda said, breaking the awkward silence, "Maybe we should just-"_

_"Hey, look! Here he comes!" Jou shouted, interrupting a rather annoyed Honda._

_The four teens then turned their heads in unison to see a very flushed-looking Ryou running out from somewhere along the side of his apartment building. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said as he came to a stop and bent down, breathing heavily and he rested in hands on his knees. "I was just out for a bit and I lost track of time and-"_

_"Don't worry, Ryou, we don't mind!" Anzu said, cutting off a very relieved Ryou. "But…just out of curiosity, where were you? We looked everywhere…" she trailed off, looking around the surrounding area as if expecting a bright flashing sign to appear and say '_He was here!'

_Ryou sighed and rubbed his neck nervously. "Well…um…I was… Well…I've never told anyone this…but…"_

_"Hey, ya don't have to tell us if ya don't want to, Ryo,." Jou said reassuringly._

_"No, no, that's not what I meant! I don't mind sharing it with you guys. Just…don't laugh…" Ryou said, lowering his head._

_"You don't have to worry about that, Ryou. We would never laugh at something as important to you as this," Anzu soothed. The three boys also nodded their encouragement._

_"Well…I know it's silly, but…it's not really all that private in my apartment. There are always people yelling and screaming, so…I never really have a chance to be completely _alone_ in there. And…I always get a little nervous when there are loud noises or too many people around and…I sort of start to tremble, just a little. I…I just need to get away sometimes until I feel better. So, once, when one of my 'episodes' was happening, I walked out, and I found this place nearby that was hidden from everyone! It's kind of like an ally, but…well, okay, it _is _ally, but I like to be alone there. I really don't think anyone's been there in ages… I just…I like to go there to be alone…" He paused, unsure of what the others reactions would be. Then, he suddenly blurted, "You think it's stupid don't you?"_

_"Of course not, Ryou!" Anzu said quickly. "Don't worry about, your secret's safe with us."_

_"How 'bout we get to the movie theatre now, guys? It's gonna start soon!" Jou smiled and cheerfully clapped Ryou on the back. "C'mon, Ryou-chan, race ya there!" he shouted as he turned and began running to the movie theatre._

_The others, including Ryou, genuinely smiled, and they set off to catch up to Jounouchi, who turned and waved back at them._

_----End of Flashback----_

_Ryou's hiding place…! Of course! _Jounouchi quickly pushed himself off the building and set off at full speed to Ryou's apartment building, which was only a few blocks away from where he had stopped to rest. He finally spotted the building in the distance and sped up, shooting past the front door and running between the apartment and the one beside it.

_When we saw him that day, he came from somewhere over here… Hey, I bet that's it! _He stopped at a highly decayed wooden fence, noticing the human-sized hole that was half-covered by a garbage can and a few boxes. _Ryou's right…_Jou thought to himself, _it really does look like nobody's been here to clean up al this junk. He must want it to look that way, too… _He ducked and squeezed into the hole, just barely making it, then straightened up and examined his surroundings. He cautiously walked down the narrow ally, thinking that maybe this wasn't there right place.

_Wait…is that….? _"Ryou!" He shouted as he saw a person with his knees drawn up to his chest, staring fixatedly at the Millennium Ring around his chest.

Jou smiled warmly for a moment, glad that he was able to find the hurt boy. But as he watched Ryou, a part of his mind snapped in two, forgetting that this person was not tomb Thief Bakura, but Ryou, one of the main victims of the attacks. The brilliant theory that had enabled him to find Ryou was instantly forgotten as his minds' eye saw flashes of Yugi and Ryou in pain. The only thing he felt was anger that had been kept bottled up for the night, and it instantly overflowed and exploded on the boy that he was menacingly hovering over.

"Bakura! Hiretsukan(3)! I'll kill you for hurting Yugi!" he cried, lunging at Ryou.

_----With Ryou----_

_----30 minutes earlier----_

Ryou awoke in a silent daze, his white-haired head throbbing terribly as he found himself with his knees drawn to his chest, leaning against a building in the ally he recognized as his own.

"Wha…what happened…?" he asked himself, voice sounding weak and pained as he raised his head to check the area. "The last thing I remember is…ah!" he stopped mid-sentence and clutched his head in pain, burying his hands in his beautiful white hair. "Something's wrong with me…! I…I don't feel so good…!" he groaned, and then he quickly leaned over to his side, vomiting all over the sidewalk.

He emptied his stomach and rested against his elbow for a moment, waiting for his body to relax. Then, he straightened up, moving a trembling hand upwards to wipe the corners of his mouth. He took deep breaths, willing his vision to clear before trying to think about the night before. _Calm down, Ryou… You're fine… _After a few deep breaths, he felt a bit better, and he slowly tried to recreate the events of the day and night before.

_I remember running… Someone was screaming…and I was running as fast as I could… But…why was I running? Was I running away from something…or…or chasing something…?_ His memories were cold, clouded, and distant, but brief flashes of faces and items began to swirl to the front of his mind, bringing a bit of the night before with it._ No…_he thought slowly. _Before running…I think I remember…Yugi… He was…he was hurt… He told me…he surrendered…didn't he? But…what does that mean…? Were we…playing a game…? Why was he hurt so badly? Was it…was it me…! Did I hurt him…! Oh, god…what have I done…! _

"Why can't I remember!" he shouted, his broken and strained sounding voice echoing along the dank ally. "Something's wrong with me…" he whispered, clearly frightened. "I've been having blackouts…but that only happened when I had the Millennium Ring…" Deep chocolate eyes widened as comprehension dawned, and, slowly, he brought his hand to his chest, fearing the truth that he already knew, and felt the familiar golden ring with its many golden points.

"It's still here…! No…! I thought I got rid of this thing forever! I thought I was free!" Ryou cried desperately, fear beginning to overtake him as he stared hopelessly at the Millennium Ring, struggling to deny the inevitable truth.

"_You'll never get rid of me, baka(4) hikari(5)…" _an evil voice sneered from the Millennium Ring.

"You…" Ryou timidly said, staring uneasily at the ring around his neck. "You!" he shouted this time, gaining confidence as anger built up inside him. "What did you do to Yugi! What did you do to _me_!

"_Me?" _Bakura said mockingly, _"I haven't done anything to your friend_, gaki(6)._ You are the one who caused Yugi to lose our duel. It's your fault he is in this condition."_

"Wha…what are you talking about! What did you do to him!"

_"Why, you didn't know…?" _Bakura taunted, putting on a look of false shock, _"Baka hikari, at this very moment Little Yugi is on his deathbed," _He paused, allowing himself to savor the look of shock on Ryou's pale face. _"You know, I think I give him another 2 days at best…"_

Ryou gaped in furious shock, before finally bursting out, _"You hiretsukan! You ruined my life! Now you're going to kill one of my best friends! You can't, I won't let you!"_

_"Baka hikari," _Bakura said smoothly, _"I'm afraid it's already too late."_

Ryou stared angrily at the Millennium Ring that was now around his neck. For a moment, he thought about taking it off and leaving it in a trash bin or a hole somewhere, but he immediately disregarded that thought. He had tried to get rid of it before, but it had come back, and he had been severely punished by the spirit which dwelled inside it.

_Vash…_he thought, _I'm sorry for ever hurting you… It's my fault you died…he was punishing me… But I can't let that happen again… I have to contain him…alone_. His eyes narrowed as the thought he heard his name being called him the distance, but he refused to acknowledge it. _It's just Bakura taunting me…well I won't let him get the best of me…_

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the tall, handsome blonde walk towards him, smiling warmly. In an instant, the blonde boys' smile turned to a look of intense anger, and before Ryou even knew there was somebody there, the boy shouted, "Bakura! Hiretsukan! I'll kill you for hurting Yugi!"

"Wait- stop!" Ryou cried, looking up just in time to see Jounouchi lunge angrily at him, prepared to attack the confused boy. Jounouchi stopped in his tracks, staring perplexedly at Ryou, unsure if he could trust the hikari. "It's me, Jounouchi…" Ryou quietly said, "It's Ryou…"

Jounouchi looked into Ryou's deep chocolate eyes, seeing the heart and affection he had grown to love. "Ryou…" Jou said, falling to his knees and pulling the white-haired boy into a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay…"

"Jounouchi-chan…" Ryou said, gently pulling away, and looking into Jou's honey-colored eyes. "Help me…" he whispered, suddenly feeling ill and weak. "Jou…I think something's happening to…ah!"

Ryou quickly brought his hand up pressed down, trying to bring down the pain that now filled his head, and threatening to overtake his consciousness and knock him into the shadows. "Ahh!" Ryou shouted in a pain-filled voice, falling to his side, hands still holding his head. "Please don't- ahh!" Ryou's sentence was cut short by another scream, and he feel silent, the Millennium Ring around his neck glowing brightly for a moment before dulling and returning to normal.

"Ryou…?" Jou called hesitantly. "Ryou…?"

Ryou's eyes were glued to the ground as he slowly and silently pulled himself up from the ally ground, Jounouchi carefully watching his every move. Ryou stood straight up, then slowly raised him head to look Jou right in the face.

"Why, hello, bonkotsu(7)," Bakura snidely said, his eyes now showing with a malicious and cold emptiness. "Tell me, how is gaki Yugi? He's suffering, isn't he…? Oh…how I hope he's suffering…" Bakura's unfeeling mauve orbs narrowed as a smile tugged at the corners of his cheeks, feeling indescribable delight at the prospect of another suffering being.

"You know, bonkotsu, my only regret is that I won't have the joy of killing him myself…"

"You hiretsukan!" Jounouchi, who had been glaring with silent fury as Bakura made his little speech, suddenly burst out. "You sick, disgusting, ketsuoanansi(8)… I'll kill you!" With a cry of rage, Jou burst forward and lunged at Bakura, ready to tackle the tomb Thief and beat the kuso(9) out of him.

Bakura smirked and lightly sidestepped the attacking blonde, causing Jou to pitch forward from the momentum. He was already halfway to the ground when Bakura reached out an arm and wrapped it around a surprised Jou's neck, tightening his hold and getting Jounouchi into death-grip.

"Ah ah, bonkotsu, did you really think you could get me that easily? You're going to have to do better than that… But don't worry…you'll have your chance later…"

"L-let go…can't…breath…" Jounouchi angrily gasped, frantically trying to bring air into his burning lungs. He clawed at Bakura with his weakening arms, but was unable to do more than make a few small scratches that did nothing but peel the top later of skin. He furiously kicked his legs, but to no avail; they were too long, and refused to reach the white-haired psycho. "L-let go… I'll kill…you…!" Jounouchi weakly tried to hit Bakura, as he felt his mind drift into unconsciousness. His eyes slowly glazed over as his thoughts slowed to a stop, but not before he was able to remember one last thing. _I'm…sorry, Yugi… I…I won't…give up…yet…! _The last thing he heard was Bakura's torturous laugh as he muttered something Jou was only vaguely aware of. Then, he was lost to the blissful ignorance of the shadows.

"I'll give you your chance to defeat me, bonkotsu…" Bakura whispered quietly, smirking as he watched Jou weakly struggle and fall unconscious in his arms. "In fact…why don't we all play a little…_game_…? I'm quite sure you'll like my 'guest of honor'…"

He picked up the unconscious Jou and threw him unceremoniously over his shoulders, purposely letting the blonds head him the fence on the way out. Smirking, he laughed as Jounouchi moaned and shifted oh Bakura's shoulder. "Impatient, are we, bonkotsu? Don't worry, we're going to be calling the other 'party guests' soon."

As he reached the end of the apartment's sidewalk, he turned abruptly, making his way towards the Domino Hospital. _My only regret is that I won't have the joy of killing him myself…_

He pulled the Millennium Ring away from his chest, eyeing it oddly, a plan formulating in his mind. _I don't like having regrets…_

_

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_

Well, there it is. The much anticipated (I hope) Chapter 8. I liked writing the end of this one, especially the line _I dont' like having regrets..._ That always sounded really creepy to me, but in a good way. Hope you liked the cliffie...becuase you're going to have to deal with it a while. In Chapter 9, we go back to the hospital the day before and see what Atem has been doing, and what his reactions are. As said before, Chapter 9 is taking a while. Infact, the first week I sat in front of my computer and blankly stared because I wasn't sure where to start from. But, I finally got a good starting point, and am currently typeing my little fingers away. Look foward to Atems's point of view in the next chappie! It might now be posted for another week or so, though...school started for me, and I think my teachers get a high off of giving me homework or something... Anyway, please review this chappie! And thanks for following it for so long!

**To all reviewers:**

First off, I want to say, 'YAY!' 13 reviews! That's a new record! (dances around while happily handing out lolly's) Thanks so much for caring enough about this to review, it means so much to me! (huggles)

I do have some bad new, though... (takes deep breath) I don't think I'm allowed to answer your reviews anymore. (cries) has anyone else gotten the e-mail saying ff made a rule where you can't reply to your reviewers? I'm not sure if it's true, and I don't want to break the rules and get my story taken off. I've worked so hard on it! It would be a major disappointment if all of it were to be erased. Granted, I have everything saved, but...still... Well, if anyone has anymore info on it, please tell me, because if I can reply I really want to.

Oh, if you want, please feel free to leave your e-mail address so I can get back to you. I love replying to everyone, and I don't want to have to stop just because of some stupid rule! (hides face from peoples) So if you want me to reply to you, just leave your e-mail and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Don't be offended if I don't answer you for a while, I have school, and my free time has been severely limited (hence the wait for Chapter 8). Don't be shy! Leave your e-mail! Especially you old reviewers (giggles with seers)! I'm really glad you followed this entire time, and I'd still love to talk to you guys! Thanks again for reading this! (huggles everyone)

**Reviewers:** _(since I can't answer, I want to at least acknowledge you guys!)_

_Mystical Nonsense_

_tai'sgirl23_

_dreamergirl090_

_yugirules_

_yugioh-startrekker_

_Razanur_

_seers-of-a-lost-paradise_

_**C.B.A.**_

_XxXMe Need A LifeXxX_

_silentprayers_

_qwertopip_

_GoldenSunSheba_

_Light In Limbo_

_Angel Red_

**Notes: **_(all words are in Japanese)_

1) 'thank you'

2) Yet another very rude way of saying 'you'

3) 'bastard'

4) 'idiot' or 'stupid'

5) 'light'

6) 'brat'

7) 'common' or 'ordinary' This is one of Kaiba's favorite ways to insult Jounouchi. In the Japanese version, he calls Jounouchi 'bonkotsu duelist', which is basically saying that Jounouchi is an ordinary duelist who has no superiour dueling skills. Insulting, right? Well, here, I just let Bakura borrow and shorten it, because it's too much trouble to say 'bonkotsu duelist' all the time.

8) 'asshole'

9) 'shit'


	9. I Can Never Forgive Myself

Yay! I've finally posted chapter 9. I was going to post this yesterday, honestly, but I'm in band, and the football game we we playing was delayed by rain for an hour, so I didn't get home to midnight. And as soon as I got here I changed out of my wet clothes and fell asleep. I woke up early this morning to watch Yugioh, and was going to post it then, but my dad caught me, and yelled at me to get off the internet at such an early hour.

But that's enough about me! That's definetly not why you're here! Well, without futher adu...

**Chapter 9: I Can Never Forgive Myself…**

_----The night before----_

_----Atem's point of view----_

Atem silently awoke, crimson orbs filled with confusion as they slowly opened to view his surroundings, where he found himself surrounded by Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda, each looking down on him with remorse in their tearing eyes and pained features.

_"What's going on…?" _he asked, but was left unanswered, as his voice could be heard by none other than himself. Atem confusingly blinked, then sat up, looking around the hospital room trying frantically to piece things together, wondering what had happened to make the other three look so depressed. After a full circle around the room, his dark gems slowly fell to the bed he was sitting on… where Yugi's limp form rested. _"O-oh god…Aibou!" _he cried, memories flooding back into him like an overflowing dam.

Hot tears flew to his flew to dark crimson eyes, and a sudden terrified calmness washed over him as guilt filled his heart, leaving him feeling empty and cold. _Aibou…_he thought to himself. He slid off the side of the bed and turned to face Yugi. _"What has he done to you.! How could he do this!" _he shouted to no one, intense anger flowing through him as he remembered the cause of Yugi's pain.

_----Flashback----_

"_Bakura's gone now, Aibou. There's no way he can return and hurt Ryou anymore…or you, for that matter. I promise Bakura's gone, so you don't have to worry about him anymore."_

_----End of Flashback----_

_No…_Atem moaned, snapping his head up at the echo of his own condemning words. "_It's all my fault…" _he whispered, weakly falling to his knees. _"I told him it was okay… Aibou…please forgive me…" _He stared at Yugi, fists trembling slightly, hoping against hope that Yugi would awaken.

Suddenly, a movement next to Atem attracted his attention, and he turned to see Jounouchi staring straight at him, a perplexed expression on his handsome face, showing with tears. _Jounouchi can hear me…? But…how…? _He watched as Jounouchi stared at him, unsure of whether he should tell the handsome blonde something or just stare back. After a moment, Jou lowered his head and turned back to Yugi, new tears falling down his cheeks as he watched his best friend lie in pain.

_Jounouchi… _Atem thought. _Perhaps he just…saw something behind me… Jounouchi-chan…I'm sorry I've put you all through this… _he blinked and closed his eyes as more tears threatened to fall down his handsomely tanned skin. _No…! I have to be strong for the others…for Aibou…_

He turned towards Jou again, sympathy clear in his eyes, watching confusedly as Jou willingly bit into his hand, slightly smirking as dark red blood falling down his hand, washing over the rest of his fingers, staining his light flesh. _Jounouchi… _Atem widened his eyes in realization and concentrated on Jou, hoping that somehow he could calm his companion.

_"Jounouchi…please don't do that. It's only making things worse and…and Aibou wouldn't like it." _His deep baritone voice broke as he spoke of Yugi, and he lowered his head, clenching his fists as he struggled to gather his composure. He reopened his eyes a few moments later, and saw that Jounouchi had stopped and was now staring directly at Yugi, more tears falling down his honey-colored eyes. _I'm sorry, Jounouchi…_

Atem turned his attention back towards his aibou, backing away and leaning against a nearby wall. _Oh, Aibou…I-I love you so much…I can't imagine having to live without you… _He smiled, despite his pain, thinking about happier times he had spent with Yugi, reminiscing about the many adventures they had…together… "_I remember when you first found me, Aibou…" _he said, walking forward and sitting on the edge of Yugi's bed.

He leaned forward and rested his head on Yugi's chest, only half-aware of the other three people in the room. Silently, he listened to Yugi's heartbeat, hoping that his aibou would soon awaken and talk to him, just like he always had. Concentrating, he tried to talk to Yugi through their mind link, but…to no avail. There was no sign of Yugi's soul at all. It was as if he had…disappeared… _Please Aibou…please wake up, _he tried to tell Yugi, even though he knew there would be no answer. _I can't hear you…I can't even sense you… Are you still there…? Please Aibou…please wake up…_

"Yugi!" Atem was snapped from his thoughts as Anzu suddenly broke down, sliding off her chair, as her knees made a dull 'thud' on the floor. "Yugi…please don't die, Yugi! I'm not ready for you to leave yet…! None of us are!"

Atem quickly pushed himself up as Anzu carefully laid her head down where his had been just seconds earlier, right on top of Little Yugi's bandaged and bleeding chest. She leaned closely to his face, whispering something none of the others could hear, tears falling down her light skin. Atem watched as Jounouchi and Honda came forward to comfort Anzu, turning his head away, even though he knew they could not see his tears. He wished he could say something to comfort them, but…_ How can I bring them any comfort…when my own heart is broken…?_

A sudden movement from the bed attracted Atem's attention, and he slowly turned towards Yugi's unconscious form. Gaping, he saw Yugi's arm move slightly by his side, just barely noticeable. "_Aibou…! Y-you're awake! Oh, Aibou…I… never thought I'd see you again…" _Atem said, trying to talk to Yugi through their mind link. But… Yugi's side was still closed …

"_Aibou…why won't you answer me…? Are you ang--oh, god! Aibou!" _Fear and confusion rushed into Atem's heart as he saw Yugi began to feverishly shake on the bed. It began slowly, but soon escalated to uncontrollable convulsing, rocking the bed on which Atem sat. Atem's breaths came in short gasps as his eyes traced the trickle of blood that now ran down Yugi's beautifully pale cheek, staining his once perfect chin with it's dark red presence. Atem's ears blocked out all sounds, only hearing the rough coughs that came from Yugi's strained throat, growing louder in volume by the second.

Suddenly, Yugi's bright eyes shot open, seemingly looking directly at Atem, who was now leaning above his little aibou, staring into amethyst eyes which seemed to see him, but not see him. Atem stared in pure horror at Yugi's convulsing body, still trying frantically to talk to the young boy. _"Aibou! AIBOU! Please, Aibou, please wake up! Please talk to me Aibou!"_

Atem watched as Yugi began to open his mouth, a stir of joy beginning to dance in his stomach. He waited for the voice he longed to hear, anticipating the quiet innocence that Yugi portrayed so well, when Little Yugi opened his mouth wide…and let out the a scream that echoed through the vastness of Atem's mind and soul, imprinting horror and pain on the once strong Egyptian pharaoh.

Atem stared in utter shock and horror, tears freely running down his beautifully tanned skin as he watched Yugi began to grow weaker, his once-bright eyes fading and beginning to close, body still freely convulsing, without the consent of it's owner. _"No! I won't lose you, Aibou! I have to find you! I have to save you!" _A bright flash filled the room, unnoticed by any of the other teens in the room, who were too preoccupied with calling a nurse and getting her to save their best friend.

Atem disappeared from the spotless hospital room, materializing inside the Millennium Puzzle; or, more precisely, into Yugi's soul room, filled with various toys and child-like play things, looking much more like a toddlers play room than a teenagers. _"Aibou…are you here…? You must be here somewhere, Little One… I must find you…I must…!" _

"AHHH!" Atem whipped his head around as he heard yet another blood-curling scream let out by Yugi, echoing through the vast empty walls of the soul room. Quickly, he rushed to the door, throwing it open and running out of Yugi's soul room and into the single hallway. He then jerked open the door to his own room, charging in, perking his ears for any other sounds Yugi might have made to hint his location. _He's in here somewhere… I _know_ I heard him… He must be…lost…or hurt…or something…! Oh Aibou…please be alright…_

Atem rushed through the empty hallways, following the sound of Yugi's cries of pain, coming closer and closer each time…

Before being cut off by a brick wall, or yet another one of his owns mind traps.

_"Oh god…Yugi!"_

_"W-we need some help over here!"_

_"Nurse! Yugi's still shaking!"_

Atem could hear the voices of Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda, each of their voices filled with sorrow and grief. Desperately, he tried to ignore them and continue his search, but his efforts were futile, as they kept breaking through, filling his thought with their words and pain. _I'm sorry…I'll find him for you…I promise…!_

Atem ran through the empty hallways, silence filling his ears as an unnatural calmness came down on the soul room. Suddenly, he thought he heard Yugi's voice come from another direction, and in his haste to believe Yugi right around the corner, ungracefully turned to try to find him. The momentum with which he was running caused him to trip and fall, landing hard on the dark brick floor, drawing a quiet moan of pain from the young man. He lay there for a moment, the agony and fatigue he had ignored finally catching up to him in his moment of weakness. The absence of his frantic footsteps caused the empty halls to grow ten times quieter, echoing with an eerie stillness…making the next noise in it echo off the walls and remain in Atem's ears and mind…

"_Are they shouting at me…?"_

_"Aibou!" _Atem snapped his head up and fell silent, hoping to hear Yugi's voice again…hoping to find his lost aibou… _"Aibou…?" _He listened, waiting for the any sounds that would hint Yugi was alright. Finally, after a wait that seemed like it had lasted forever, another sound came into the soul room.

_"Hey, wait! Shouldn't…shouldn't you put Yugi into something more comfortable, like a hospital gown or something? It's already been four hours…"_ Anzu's reserved sounding voice came through, ending in a quieter tone than what it had been when she began, almost like something had discouraged her from speaking. Atem could hear the pain and sorrow in her voice, could feel the emptiness in her heart… After all, he was sure if he were to speak, he would sound exactly the same…

Atem started to get up to begin his search again, but was stopped, when he heard yet another voice break through the barrier. Unfortunately, it would bring news that Atem was not ready to hear…

_"Yugi is in critical mental and physical condition. He has a concussion, three broken ribs, and…he is slowly slipping into a coma. Not to mention the various other injuries he received. Right now, any more stress could harm him even further, it's too risky to move him now. When-" _A short pause in the official sounding speech. _"_If_ he stabilizes, we'll be sure to make him more comfortable."_

_"Wait…"_Honda's voice this time, sounding skeptical and unsure. _"What do you "if" You mean "when"…don't you? When Yugi gets better?"_

There was a pause in the next person's answer, and Atem could feel the tension in the room, even though he was not there. He waited patiently, his heart beating with anxiety, when-

_"Th…the truth is, kids… Yugi…he won't live much longer than a week."_

_"A-aibou…!" _Atem's choked sounding voice broke the intimidating silence of the soul rooms, his heartbeat rapidly increasing, beating against his chest as though struggling to escape, making it hard for Atem to catch his breath. Guilty thoughts flooded his mind as he went over Yugi's final fearless moments in his head, fists shaking with a livid intensity as he struggled to withstand the force of his own heartache, until, finally, it became too much. _"No…! It's all my fault…! _A strangled moan escaped from Atem, as he fell to his knees on the hard brick floor. _"Aibou…!" _Atem said as he evaporated from his spot in the Millennium Puzzle, appearing right next to Yugi's bedside. He stood up, struggling to keep his emotions in check, but failing as his expression turned to one of intense anguish; his dark crimson orbs held deep sorrow as unwilling tears feel down his cheeks, marking his face with wet trails that made his mysterious dark eyes stand out even brighter than before, this time, with passionate grief. Atem stood slowly, then turned his head as Anzu let out a strangled sob next to him, sliding off her chair, still clenching tightly to Yugi's small, frail hand.

A stab of guilt went to Atem 's heart as he saw his friend knelling there so pitifully. _Anzu… _he thought. _I'm so sorry I caused all this… Please forgive me… _He brought his hand over to her shoulder, clenching it tightly, before letting go and returning his attention to Yugi.

"_Aibou…please don't leave me…" _Atem tenderly reached his hand over to Yugi's face, gently stroking the hikari's tender and smooth skin. _What if I can never do this again…? _Atem thought as he caressed Yugi's cheek. _Touch your beautiful face…look into your intense eyes…hear your sweet voice… _Against his will, new tears began to fall down his strong cheekbones. "_I love you so much, Aibou… P-please don't leave me, Aibou! Please don't go!" _His voice broke, filled with intense sadness and despair as he thought of life without his aibou, of the guilt that would constantly invade his mind and slowly steal his sanity. _"You're my whole world , Little One… Without you…I can't imagine moving forward without you by my side… Without light…there can be no darkness…_

Atem closed his eyes and lowered his head, still massaging Yugi's cheek, scarcely noticing the other 4 present in the hospital room, as he wallowed in his own pit of misery. _You won't ever leave me…will you Little One_…? _Please don't ever leave me…! _Atem thought, hoping Yugi would respond with a nod… Unfortunately, Atem was let down.

Atem sighed, quietly whimpering as he heard Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda beside him, each reacting in their own way as they heard the devastating news. He tried to ignore their sufferings and misery, as cruel as it was, but… _I don't think I can take much more of this…_ He tried to pretend that they weren't miserable because of his horrible mistake, and that the price they would soon be forced to pay was merely an illusion of some sort, or someone's cruel idea of a joke. But…it was so difficult to ignore the tears of the brokenhearted…

_I'm sorry I've hurt you…_Atem thought, not even hearing the others, more absorbed in his own thoughts. After what seemed like eternity, he looked up, somehow sensing the sudden tension that was now present, somehow knowing that something was wrong…_somehow_ knowing…there was more bad news to come…

"Yugi…" Atem watched as the nurse that aided Yugi spoke calmly and quietly, as if this was a ordinary event. "He's been through severe mental and physical strain, and if he lives…he might not remember much…"

"What do you mean?" Honda cocked his head to the side, quizzically staring at the nurse, worry showing in his dark auburn eyes. "Like…he won't remember his attack?"

"Well, there's that, but…Yugi could forget any amount of days, or years. He could forget, today, the week, even the past few years…he may even forget you guys… But chances of his survival are slim, and the chances of him remembering much are even slimmer… I…I don't' want you to get your hopes up, okay?" The nurse turned and walked towards the door, leaving the dejected souls, acting almost as if nothing had happened. "Oh, visiting hours are over in about forty minutes, okay? I know you don't want to, but you'll have to leave. We'll take good care of Yugi, the best we can." The nurse then turned and left, leaving the three teens and spirit to express their pain to one another…or, in one case…alone.

* * *

(sign) Poor Atem...this made me very sad indeed. I hope I didn't screw up Atem's personality. I wanted to make him seem hurt, but not weak...y' know? I don't think it came out as well as I wanted it though...some of it kind of seemed...forced. (sigh) It's kind of hard to explain what goes on in my mind, I just don't think it was alll thiat it could have been. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought, I hope you enjoyed it! (puppy eyes) 

On a side note, YAY! 1000 hits! That makes me very happy indeed, but only 72 reviews? That's less than 1/10 of you reviewing. Oh well, here's to all you faithful reviewers!(hands out various gifts)

**Reviewers** _(in orderof review):_

_qwertopip_

_tai'sgirl23_

_XxXMe Need A LifeXxX_

_seers-of-a-lost-paradise_

_plutobaby494_

_MRH_

_NightRaven13- _Okay, I know I'm not supposed to answer people, but I'm just going to make an exception this one time. That you so much for that super-awesome-wonderful review! That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said! I'm glad you like Bakura/Ryou, I worked really hard to try to make them seem...well them. Anyway, thank's so much!

_angela webb_

_C.B.A_

_yugioh-startrekker_

_Black Joey_

Thanks so much for reviewing, guys! It means so much to me. Oh, and thanks to seers, I've started a livejournal so I can talk to you guys after all. I haven't written my responses yet, but I'll post the link to it when I do, probably later today. Thanks again! (huggles and lollys to everyone) Oh, and also, I will be posting new chapters every 2 weeks, on a Friday, most likely. If not, it will be because of a football game, if anything happens I'll post it the next day.


	10. How Can I Move Foward When My Heart

Ah, finally back again! Sorry I'm late guys, I got myself grounded Friday morning, so I couldn't post this when I got back from the football game. In fact...I'm kinda still grounded now... (sly grin) But I told my parents I have homework. Which isn'tnesseccarily a _lie..._just not the entire truth. (evil smile) Anyway, sorry for being two days late, and for boring you with this lame author's note. That's not why you came here! So, on the the fic! (be prepared to cry...I hope)

* * *

**Chapter 10: How Can I Move Forward When My Heart is in the Past**

_"A-aibou…!" _Atemu moaned, his heart aching with the knowledge that the entire incident was his fault. _"Aibou, I…I'm sorry…" _Atemu whimpered quietly, struggling to keep his composure, even though he knew it was in vain. "_Aibou…you could never forget me…could you…? The bond we share…could it ever truly leave your heart…?" _He sighed, gently clenching his fists as he closed his eyes in defeat. _"To…to be honest…whether you remember me or not doesn't matter…not compared to everything else… As long as we're together, we can rebuild our memories and bond… As long as we're together…nothing else matters…"_

Atemu knelt down, leaning close, and rested his head on Yugi's chest, hot tears falling down his cheeks, leaving watermarks on his handsome tanned skin. He squeezed Yugi's fist tightly, hoping for what seemed like the hundredth time that Yugi would respond by squeezing back and opening his striking amethyst eyes.

For the hundredth time, he was let down.

Atemu sighed and raised his head, picking up his hand and carefully wiping the tears off his cheeks. He looked into Yugi's eyes, narrowing his own crimson orbs and concentrating as hard as he could on Yugi's thoughts. _"Please, Aibou…please answer me…!" _He waited a moment, straining his mind for a whisper, even a moan, _something_ to indicate that Yugi had reopened his mind link. _Somethin_g to show that he was alive…

Atemu quietly moaned as new tears formed at the corners of his eyes, raising a hand to his lips and biting into his flesh, trying to stifle the sounds that were struggling to come out. _I'm so sorry, Aibou… I should have helped you…! I knew what was going to happen, why didn't I stop you! I would've broken my promise, but…I'd rather spend eternity gaining back your trust than spend even a moment without you by my side… I couldn't live without you, Aibou…if I'm lucky, I won't have to… _Atemu turned to the wall, allowing his mind to wander to the far regions of his soul. Vaguely, he wondered what would happen to him if Yugi were to…leave. He didn't want to have to live another moment with the guilt that overtook his mind and soul, and if Yugi died, he knew he could never forgive himself for the pain he had caused everyone.

Atemu softly moaned, closing his dark crimson eyes, forcing the tears to stop trickling down his cheeks, forcing the ache in his heart to dull, forcing the guilt in his mind to depart. He fell silent, watching as Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda each sat silently, lost in their own thoughts, lost in the pain that was the absence of their best friend. Atemu raised his head and looked at Anzu, who tightly held Yugi's hand, as if afraid to let go. She looked at Yugi with a kind pity, affection and love showing plainly in her eyes and actions. Tears fell down her light azure eyes, quite in contrast to the expression on her face. She squeezed Yugi's hand tighter, carefully pulling herself close, leaning near her small friend. Her eyes shone with a kind of mysterious hope, as if somehow, someway, she knew Yugi would be okay, and she would be able to see his kind smile again.

Jounouchi, knelt on the other side of Yugi's bed, not even a stifled moan escaping him as a waterfall of tears fell down his light hazel eyes that were just visible over Yugi's scratched arms. No, Jou's pain seemed to be beyond that of words. He posture was that of a broken boy-- no, broken _man_. Jounouchi had seem more pain and sorrow than most grown men had ever had the misfortune of experiencing.

Silently, Atemu watched as Jounouchi raised his head from Yugi's arm, eyes still glistening with tears, his expression with an emotion that echoed Atemu's-- guilt. Jou's, though, shown with something more, something that dug away at his very soul…anger.

Anger…and revenge.

Behind Atemu, Honda sat on the floor, no emotion showing in his dark brown eyes as tears slowly fell down his face. He was staring at Yugi-- no, _past _Yugi, his eyes unfocused and dull, and Atemu could practically see the gears working in this mind. Although his eyes showed no pain, the tears falling down his face were hints to the deep torment the teenage boy was feeling. All because of one person's mistake…

_"It's all my fault… Their pain…their sorrow…all because of me…" _Atemu closed his eyes, trying to force the painful images out of his head so he wouldn't have to feel the horrible pain that filled his soul. Against his will, brief flashes of the other three broken teens found their way into his mind, imprinting their sorrow on thoughts.

Anzu, holding tightly to Yugi's frail hand, tears steadily falling down her light pale cheeks, bright azure eyes fill with a desperate hope as she grasped onto the chance to see Yugi again, even if he wouldn't hold the memories she so deeply cherished.

Jounouchi, silent, for the first time, and looking as though a smile would never grace his handsome face ever again. His expression held a grimace of guilt as he looked at his young friend, but his eyes flashed with a burning anger and flashing determination that Atemu vaguely reminded Atemu of someone.

Honda, eyes completely devoid of emotion, lacking the hope that Anzu held and the fierce determination that captivated Jounouchi. Hope was gone from his once-smiling face, replaced entirely by emptiness and anguish, like there was nothing he could hold on to anymore.

Like nothing would ever be the same…

_"I…it's all my fault!" _Atemu suddenly cried, baritone voice breaking as the Millennium Puzzle flashed once more, taking Atemu away into the depths of the shadows. As he left, Honda slowly looked up, noticing the sudden burst of light, confusion faint in this eyes.

Atemu appeared in the labyrinth of he Millennium Puzzle, knees drawn up to his chest, back against the cold brick, head thrown back and lightly resting against the cool stone. Tears trickled down his mauve orbs, leaving trails of wetness, but Atemu took no notice, instead focusing his attention on the dark ceiling, lost in his own thoughts of guilt. _It's all my fault…everything that happened today…Aibou's pain…if…if he dies…it's…my fault…! _He sat there, silent, unable to find the strength to wipe the tears off his cheeks or brush his blonde strands of hair out of is face. Despite the intense guilt he was feeling, Atemu's expression remained blank, showing no insight into the former pharaoh's mind.

_"Aibou…" _Atemu whispered. _"I'll never see you again…will I…? This…this _void…_I've never felt anything like this before… Ever since we encountered each other, there has always been a strong connection between us, and no matter what happened I always felt you…I always knew you were there… But now…"_

He let out a loud sob, bringing his head down and burying it in his knees. _"I'm sorry, Aibou…!" _He narrowed his eyes, guilt flashing for a brief instant before being replaced by the unfamiliar void that now enthralled Atemu._ "No…_Yugi_…I don't deserve to have you as my partner…!"_

He fell silent once again, tears still falling down his cheeks as he allowed his mind to wander.

_"Yugi's not going to make it…! He's going to-ahh!"_

_Honda… _Inwardly, Atemu felt a rush of concern for Honda, and for a brief moment considered going to check on everyone. He opened his eyes, preparing to stand up and leave the Millennium Puzzle, when a sudden rush of guilt came over his entire being, overwhelming him. He fiercely shut his eyes once more._ I…I can't go…Anything I do…it only causes pain… _He sighed, closing his eyes once again and resting his head on the surface behind him. _I'm sorry…_

_"No…"_

_Jounouchi…? _Atemu questioned, snapping open his eyes, surprised at Jou's fierce sounding voice after remaining so secluded since arriving at the hospital. Atemu had never heard Jounouchi sound so…_commanding_…and besides that, why had Jou spoken so soon after Honda's shout? _Did Jounouchi…?_

_"Don't you see…?" _Atemu paused, listening intently to Jounouchi, hoping to find some hint as to what was going on_. "Yugi, he…we can't give up on him…" _Atemu listened intently, his heartbeat speeding up as Jou spoke so quietly and calmly about Yugi, as if there was nothing in the world but himself and the young, silent boy. _"Back…back at Battle City…" _Jou slowly continued, Atemu still hanging on to every word._ "Do you remember when Malik attacked me…and I almost died?"_

Atemu's breath hitched, he knew all to well what Jounouchi meant; and the very mention of it caused memories to rush through his head.

_----Flashback----_

"Jounouchi-kun, if you die I…" _Yugi cried, falling to his knees in his transparent form, landing next the an anguished-looking Atemu._

_Atemu painfully brought his hand over to the duel disk that was strapped to his arm, not even hesitating with he turned the high-tech machine off. _"I can't fight anymore…"_ he whispered._

"Please, Jounouchi…please don't die…!" _Atemu moaned after a long pause, head buried in his arm, as he frantically tried to stop the tears from falling._

_----End of Flashback---- _(1)

_"Jounouchi…I'm sorry you have to see Yugi like this… I never wanted to have to experience anything like that ever again… But now…" _He fell silent as his voice broke, closing his eyes and listening to Jounouchi's heartfelt speech.

_"Yugi, he…he always believed I would make it. Even when I was on the brink of death…he always believed I would make it…"_

_That's true… _Atemu slowly said, reminiscing about that horrible day. _Even though Aibou's heart was shattered, a small ray of hope always shone through his misery…_our_ misery... We…we both _knew_ Jounouchi would survive._

_----Flashback---_

"What is a True Duelist(2)?"

"Jounouchi…" _Atemu instantly turned his head to the side, eyes opening wide as he heard Jounouchi's familiar voice echoing with the phrase they had both used so often. He stared for a moment, a faint glimmer of hope appearing in his heart, then sighed and turned his head back dejectedly. _Perhaps it was just…wishful thinking…_he thought to himself. He lowered his head, tears coming to his crimson orbs, when a bright flash attracted his attention._

_Atemu looked down, bringing a hand down to his right pocket, which now glowed with a furious intensity that shown through the dark leather of his jacket. "_The…the Millennium Necklace…" _he muttered to himself, while Yugi's curious spirit looked on, head cocked slightly to the side. _"I nearly forgot…perhaps it's trying to tell me something… But…when Isis used it last…the future she predicted was false… Can I…can I trust what it shows me…?"

_Another flash, brighter this time, emitted from the Millennium Necklace, completely engulfing Atemu, blinding him with it's severely intense glow. Suddenly, he found himself in an almost empty city street, his cape casually draped around his shoulders as the wind silently blew, causing the garment to gracefully billow with the breeze. Across from him, stood Jounouchi, poised in a intimidating way, duel disk at ready, slightly smirking at Atemu._

_"Our Battle City is not yet over," Jounouchi said, still slightly grinning as he brought his hand over to his duel disk.._

_The Millennium Necklace once again gave and eerie glow, and seconds later Atemu found himself standing in the hospital hallway, as if nothing had happened. He blinked confusingly for a moment, turning to Little Yugi, who also wore a puzzled expression, showing that he too had seen the vision. _

_Atemu slowly looked down on the Millennium Necklace, while Yugi watched with curiosity. _"Was that…a vision of our future…? But, what if…?" _he closed his eyes, fist clenching around the gold necklace in his hand, shaking with a livid intensity. _"No…"_ he said, voice growing with new confidence and brimming with determination and trust.._ "I believe in this future. I will fight as a True Duelist." _Spirit Yugi narrowed his wide shining amethyst eyes, nodding as he merged with his counterpart. The two began to walk down the hallway, walking with a confident poise and dignity that would have been impossible just seconds earlier, preparing to say good-bye to Jounouchi before going on to meet their inevitable destiny. Hopefully, the destiny that would lead to their predicted future._

_I believe in this future. I will fight as a True Duelist._

_----End of Flashback---_

_"… That's why I know he'll live!" _Jounouchi continued confidently, voice rising as he spoke with sincerity and certainty, as if somehow he knew Yugi would survive. "_I believe he'll live, no matter what some quack nurse tells me! You hear me, Yug!" _There was a slight pause, and Atemu sat on the cool brick, wondering what had happened. Suddenly, he felt a warmth in his hand, as if someone was gently holding onto it, but he looked down and saw nothing there. Still, the warmth was unmistakable, and Atemu gently squeezed the hand in his, not knowing whether the person would feel it or not. Jounouchi then continued to speak, his voice softening as if he were speaking to a young child, shining with affection and love._ "I haven't given up yet…so you shouldn't either. 'Kay, Yugi?(2)" _Atemu gently smiled, despite the guilt which still tore away at his soul, hope now greeting that guilt resulting in an overpowering sensation of trust. Closing his dark mauve eyes, he fiercely nodded, silently vowing not to give up hope. _I believe in you, Aibou… I believe that destiny wants us to fight on…together._

Atemu felt the warmth in his hand leave, and a moment later, Jounouchi continued once again, voice so quiet that Atemu had to close his eyes and strain his ears to understand._ "Don't you see guys…?" _he said quietly. _"Even…even if he can't remember us… _We_ will be his memories…(3)" _Atemu listened, beginning to tear up himself, as he heard the once-strong Jounouchi begin to sob, softly and uncontrollably, so unlike his normal personality.

Atemu stifled a whimper, tightly shutting his eyes as hot tears threatened to trickle down. _I don't want to give up…_he thought. _But…I've never felt like this before. I've never felt so…alone… Like…I would never see you again. _He deeply sighed, lost in his own thought, ignoring the conversations that were going on around the room. After a few moments, he heard a gentle knock, apparently coming from Yugi's hospital room. He closed his eyes, listening to the conversation.

_They're leaving…_he thought. _I'm…I'm glad. I don't think I can face them now…they know it was me… They blame me… I just…I just want to be alone…with Aibou…_

_"Thank you. But…I know Yugi's gonna make it. He'll live, somehow. I know he's gonna live." _The kind voice was filled with confident certainty, a determination that came from deep trust and hope. There was no trace of fear in this voice, only love, but if you listened closely enough you could hear a hint of something more…

_Jounouchi-kun…you have so much faith… Why can't I believe like you…?_

_"I know you'll come back, Yugi… Please…don't die…" _A gloomy and gentle voice said, dripping with hope and love, as if sorry for doubting.

_Anzu-chan…I'm sorry I've caused you so much pain…_

_"Okay, guys… We better go…we don't want to have those nurses on our case." _A broken voice trying to sound strong, but only succeeding in sounding pitiful and blank. It was almost as if the teen was only half-filled, and was unable to sound full without the aid of a friend.

_Honda-kun…you're so…_empty…_ Like…you don't trust anymore… If…no, _when _**we** see you again, I hope you can forgive me…_

Atemu waited for the quiet shuffling to end, so he could finally make his appearance and talk to Yugi one-on-one. He held his breath, vowing to remain strong…for the both of them. _I…I believe you'll live, Aibou. I'm just…scared…I don't want to live with out you, Aibou. But I will be strong for you…you would want me to._

Finally, the footsteps faded away, and Atemu slowly evaporated from the Millennium Puzzle, causing it to glow brightly by Yugi's bedside, trembling for a moment before falling dull and motionless once again. Silently, Atemu's transparent spirit appeared by Yugi's bedside, standing with his arms crossed, staring at the small unmoving figure on the bed.

_Aibou, I… _Atemu began, before his voice broke. His vision closed in on Yugi's torn and burnt clothing, still stained blood red by the relentless and vicious attacks from the ruthless Tomb Thief. The bandage that ran around Yugi's chest was still soaking in blood from the freely bleeding slash, and a few scratches still allowed trickles of blood to run out of them. The bruise under the cut was a dark black and blue color, standing out horribly with the light color of his skin. The small boy's eyes were softly shut, face empty and pale, seemingly holding no memories of the smiles that had constantly graced his beautiful face. At that instant, Atemu broke down.

Something inside young man suddenly shattered, the part of him that had somehow remained strong throughout the entire ordeal, falling apart, leaving him with only a feeling of guilt and despair. Falling suddenly beside Yugi's bedside, the ex-pharaoh reached his hand over and gently grasped his limp hikari's, which was cold, giving no hint of the warmth that had once been there, ever-present.

_"Aibou…I'm sorry!" _he shouted miserably, a waterfall of tears running down his cheeks, landing on the bed sheets, but leaving no trace afterwards. _"It's all my fault! Everything that happened today, it's all because of me!" _Atemu lowered his head in misery, allowing it to rest next to Little Yugi's stomach, making sure to be careful to avoid the bruises, even though it didn't necessarily matter. _"Hiretsukan(4) Bakura may have been the one who directly attacked you, but…I allowed it to happen… I could've done something _-anything- _to insure that you remained safe from harm. It was my responsibility…as a partner…and I failed you…"_

He raised his head suddenly, shouting at whoever cared to listen. _"How could you do this to me! Why did you cause this to happen! What have we ever done to anger you! Why is it always the ones I care about…" _he paused for a moment, his voice lowering to a whisper, _"who are always the ones who get hurt…? Please…please don't take him… He…he's all I truly have…"_

Atemu closed his eyes, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sensation of fatigue and weariness wash over him, and, almost unconsciously, he gently squeezed his aibou's hand in his own. _"I'll wait here for you…" _he whispered softly_. "Please…don't leave me…" _As he spoke those final words, he felt exhaustion engulf him, and Atemu fell into an unwilling and restless sleep by Aibou's side. Throughout the night, he tossed and turned in his sleep, moaning and calling out for his fallen partner, constantly traumatized by the nightmares that plagued him. Nightmares filled with emptiness and blackness, and a terrifying sensation of being lost and alone…like he had forgotten who he was…

* * *

(wipes tears) That chapter made me sad. I think it's my seond favorite chapter right now (first is chappie 8), because of the flashback with Yugi, Atemu, andJounouchi.Oh, by the way, that whole thing with Jounouchi: never supposed to happen. It was kind of something that just sort of ...happened.Since Jounouchi was the only one who felt as guilty as Atemu, he was the only person who could help Atemu move past it, even though neither of them have truly overcome those feelings yet. All of that really happened, though, it'll be explained in my notes. So, what did ya'll think of it? I know it seemed like I was being a little repetitious, but I feel it was neseccary, so I could capture all of Atemu's trues emotions. I hope ya'll agree. 

**Notes:** _(all translations are from Japanese words or episodes)_

1) All of the flashback really happened in the anime, it was just cut of out the english version by the dubbers. It was in Episode 128: The Darkness Returns pt.4 _(Jounouchi Falls)_ This is one of my favorite things about the Japanese episodes, because all of the characters are so sad, it's really touching. Now, this has nothing to do with anything (or everything to do with noithing, lol) but I just love this quote by Seto Kaiba. I don't know why...I just do. Anyway, after Jounouchi falls uncouncious, Seto walks up and just kind of stares at Jounouchi. He is thinking _"Jounouchi...the way you die- at last i'll recognise yo as a duelist." _It just sounds so...cool.

2) A true duelist is a concept completely cut out of the english version, but it plays a huge role in the japanese verison.I don't really know how to explain it... (sigh) If you want more info on it, go to which is where I got all my information on Japanese episodes.

3) Once again, I borrowed this from Episode 52:The Past is Present _(TheLost Memory of the Pharaoh)_This is also a great japanese ep, mainly because of Yugi and Atemu's conversation.

4) 'bastard'

Oh, and here is the link to my LJ, where your reviews have finally been answered. Just put the w's together, put the 'e' and 'j' together, delete the spaces andadd the 'dots'. That, and this: kaimeitenshi. Thanks again for sticking by me! (huggles)

ww w live journal com/users/kaimeitenshi/


	11. Emotions Only Get in the Way

Okay...first off, about the last chapter, I think I may have gotten a bit carried away...(awkward silence) But, I regret nothing! (more awkward silence) Anyway, second on the list, is that this chappie is 1 week and 2 days late. I'm so sorry! (begs for forgiveness) My stupid dad grounded me all of September, and then decided to go an extra week to...teach me a lesson...? I guess... Anyway, I wanted to post it Friday _and _yesterday, but Friday I had to go to my schools football game with the band, and yesterday we had a band competition that lasted all day. But,next chappie's finally here! This is where things begin to pick up, and it's going to be getting a lot more interesting... Keep your eyes open--you don't want to miss a single thing.

**Disclaimer:**_(lawyer)_ Yugioh is the sole property of creator Kazuki Takahashi. This fan-fic was not done for profit, rather the imagination and boredness of a teenage girl. _(me)_ Liar! It's mine, all mine! (randomly glomps lawyer) Ha! (runs away)

**Chapter 11: Emotions Only Get in the Way**

_----Back with Bakura and Jounouchi----_

_----A few minutes after Jounouchi is knocked unconscious by Bakura----_

Bakura smirked at every passing person as he nonchalantly walked toward the hospital doors, still holding the lifeless Jounouchi over his shoulder, scornfully ignoring the looks that were thrown in his direction at the oddity of the situation. He kept his sneer until he reached the hospital, but as he casually strolled through the wide double-doors, his expression immediately changed, going from malicious and indifferent to innocent, worried, and scared. His wild, unruly hair suddenly smoothed itself out, falling neatly against his shoulders in small spikes, gracefully framing his handsome facial features as he kept hold on Jounouchi. Bakura suddenly began to stumble slightly, staggering from the weight of the stronger and heavier shaggy blonde as Jounouchi's head bobbled from the abnormal movement. Slowly, Bakura made his way over to the Information Desk, eyes fixatedly staring straight ahead, his only thoughts obviously of getting help for his hurt companion, trying desperately to get the attention of someone _-anyone- _who could assist him.

"Help me…" he whispered quietly, voice weak from the strain of having to carry such a heavy burden. "My friend…he's hurt…!"

One of the nurses turned quizzically turned around, noticing the commotion, just as Bakura collapsed and fell to his knees, Jounouchi's weight pulling him into a slightly slouched position. "Oh my god--are you okay!" She gasped, eyes widening at the scene. "How many fingers am I holding up? What happened to your friend?" she asked, walking up and holding 3 fingers in front of an exhausted Bakura's, her face clearly showing worry and confusion. _He looks a bi familiar…_she vaguely thought to herself, looking into Jounouchi's face.

"It's…I'm fine… It's my friend…he Bakura panted, keeping his eyes planted firmly on the ground as tears sprang to his strangely empty mauve eyes, "He's hurt…and I don't know why…!" He lowered his head, hot tears falling to the ground below, leaving wet stains on his light skin.

"Calm down, itaike(1), can you tell me what happened?" the nurse patiently asked, lowering her voice as if she was speaking to a child.

Bakura wordlessly nodded, bringing his head up and allowing the two men the nurse had called over to lift up the limp Jounouchi and place him on a stretcher, then rising up and straightening, still panting a bit. "We…we were just walking…on our way here, ironically. He…he claimed he was feeling faint, a-and the next thing I knew, he was stumbling all over the place. H-he started to sway a bit, and I reached over caught him before he fell, but…it was too late…he had already passed out…right in my arms…and there was nothing I could do for him…!" Bakura trailed off, tears slowly falling down his cheeks, as the nurse nodded sympathetically.

"Is that all you can tell me?" the nurse gently asked, after a few moments of silence. Bakura merely nodded.

"Alright. That's okay." She stopped and stared at Jounouchi's limp form for a moment, then said, "Well… he's not pale or anything, and he _looks_ perfectly healthy, so, that's always a good sign..." She began to walk to the stretcher Jounouchi was on, pulling out a stethoscope from somewhere in her white jacket. "Now, let's see what's wrong…" she muttered while moving up to examine Jounouchi. "Heart rate… normal… temperature…98.6... Hmm…wait, what's this…?" she asked herself, carefully lifting Jounouchi's head so she could check under his chin.

"Itaike, do you know anything about these scratches on his neck?" she asked, indicating the light red marks that ran around Jounouchi's throat. Bakura walked forward, eyeing the marks for a moment before slowly shaking his head 'no', a perplexed expression on his slightly flushed face. "Hmm…well, either way, it seems, from what we have here, that he's been under severe stress lately. Perhaps even exhaustion…we'll have to put him in a room for a while, until he wakes up, and then a light medication to calm him down. But, I don't think there are any physical problems… Do you know of anything that could be bothering him, itaike?" the nurse asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Um…that's kind of something I wanted to ask you about…" Bakura started, averting his eyes from her own deep blue ones. "We came to visit a friend who's being cared for here. Yugi Mutou--he was checked in yesterday evening. Do you think…Jounouchi could have a room with him…just until he wakes up? He was so worried about him …I think Yugi would be the first thing Jou would want to see when he woke up… He was…so worried…" Bakura trailed, leaving the statement open. "By the way…how is Yugi…? I heard…I heard some…_things_ yesterday afternoon… They aren't…they aren't true…are they…? He…he's not going to die…is he?" Bakura skillfully kept his eyes on the ground below, refusing to allow his tears to be seen by the nurse.

The nurse allowed Bakura a few moments to collect himself, then moved towards him and gently placed her hand on his arm. "I'm…I 'm terribly sorry… But…all we know about Yugi is…he…may never wake up…"

An involuntary sob escaped Bakura, and tears began to quickly run down his face as he gently rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet. He brought his hands up and hugged himself, still sobbing, muttering words only understandable to himself, his snow-white hair following the gentle flow of his body.

"Hey…" the nurse said, breaking the awkward silence that accompanied the young boys sobs. "If it's any consolation, your friend can stay with Yugi, for now. It's against the rules, but…I think we can ignore them just this once. His name's Jounouchi, right?" Bakura slowly nodded. "Hai(2), I remember him from yesterday. He and the other two stayed with Yugi for as long as they could. I felt terrible for making them leave, but…" she broke off, leaving the statement hovering ominously over the two. "Anyway, I'm going to go and prepare Yugi's room for Jounouchi. It'll be ready in a few minutes, and you and visit them then, okay?" she then turned towards Jounouchi's stretcher, wheeling it down the hallway towards Little Yugi's room.

Bakura watched for a moment, looking mildly fascinated, then turned suddenly, making his way towards the many payphones that were lined against the wall. The Millennium Ring began to lightly glow, and once again Bakura began to change, his hair rising up and shifting into many intimidating little spikes. His eyes dimmed for a moment, then grew darker, still maintaining the mauve color and empty look. His innocent, worried expression turned to a sickening sneer, and if looks could kill…

_I'm coming for you, baka(3) hikari(4)…_he thought to himself, already lusting for the pure pleasure of torture and pain. _But first, I must invite our 'party guests'. I wouldn't want be the only person to enjoy this… _He picked up one of the phones, grumbling as he pushed various coins into the machine, not knowing or caring how much was deposited. After hearing the dial tone, he quickly punched in the buttons, knowing the number from the countless times Ryou had called it.

One ring. _Oh…this is going to be fun…_

_--------_

Two rings.

Anzu fluttered her eyelids, faintly awakening from the deep and dream-filled sleep she had been in since the night before. She was lying lazily her bed, the covers haphazardly thrown off the side, resting on the edge of the bed and on the floor below. She was still dressed in the clothes from the day before, looking messy and unkempt, quite the opposite of what she normally looked like. But at that moment, she didn't really care.

She moaned softly, trying to block out the irritating ringing and slip back into the shadowy unreality of dreams. In dreams, she could forget what had happened…in dreams, she could forget what was real… In dreams…Yugi wasn't dying…

Three rings.

Anzu turned in her light sleep, tears leaking out of her cool blues, falling down her cheeks and leaving tiny clear stains on the pillow on which she lie. _Why am I crying…_she thought. _Something…something happened… No…too painful to think. _She whimpered softly, tightly shutting her eyes in a vain attempt to fall back into the deep sleep. She turned her head away from the window, trying to block out the taunting sun, and buried her head in her pillow, shutting out all light.

Four rings.

Anzu slowly forced herself to sleep, her eyes rapidly fluttering under her eyelids as dreams found their way into her mind.

_----Dream Sequence----_

_"Yugi…?" Anzu called, slowly walking down a dimly lit winding corridor, its walls painted dazzling white. She wandered forward for a bit, following the twisting path, then came to a sudden corner. Pausing for a moment, as if waiting for it to suddenly disappear and shift into something else, she turned it, and saw a door at the end of the hallway, slightly ajar, allowing a thin ray of light to show in the hallway. "Yugi…?" she tried again, waiting for an answer before cautiously moving towards the door once again._

_As she reached the door, she slowly brought her hand to the center of it, hesitantly pushing it open as the hinges gave a stubborn groan and allowed themselves to be moved. The hallway lit up brightly, blinding her for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change of light from the hallway of darkness._

_"1- 2- 3, clear!" A man in a stunning white coat shouted, rubbing the two handles of the revitalizer together, then pressing it roughly again a young boys chest. The boy, who was lying on the operating table in front of the doctor, his face hidden by a unexplainable darkness, suddenly shot up, his chest heaving up violently, landing with a thud back on the table, as Anzu watched in horror._

_"Heart rate, rapidly decreasing; brain activity, swiftly declining… Kuso(5)! We're losing him!" shouted the panicking doctor, once again rubbing the two instruments together and pressing them against the young teens chest. He rose up again, his chest bare, and landed hard on the table, his head slowly bobbing due to the pillow that it rested upon. Anzu watched in a stunned fear, then turned her head and looked at the heart monitor that was next to the teens bed; the line was completely flat._

_"Shimatta(6)! He's flat-lining! Clear!" Yet again, the doctor frantically brought the two instruments to the teens chest, having the same result as the previous two times. The doctor stared for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to try again, then brought his hand up to his covered mouth and chin rubbing it thoughtfully, before closing his eyes in defeat, sighing and shaking his head in loss. He then brought his hand to his face, pulling back his sleeve and examining the obviously expensive leather watch on his wrist. _

_"Time of death: 8:56 am."_

_Anzu felt a pull at her heart, and sensed wisps of tears come to her stunning azure eyes, slowly and dramatically falling down her cheeks. She reached her hand up and wiped the tears, staring in pity for a moment, then cautiously moved forward to examine the quiet and still boy. The doctor was nowhere to be found._

_She reached the bed and moved her hand to the sheet which covered his face, hesitating for a moment, then closed her eyes and brought the cover back down to his stomach. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked into the face of the victim._

_"No…!" Anzu cried, her heart stopping as her breath caught in her throat. Yugi lie there, abnormally still, his no-longer bright amethyst eyes permanently closed, an unfamiliar solemn expression on his normally smiling face; his hands were pale and limp, slightly closed as they rested by his side, which was still, lacking the rhythmic pulse of the heart or the steady rising of the ribcage as they were pressed against the lungs. His face was flushed slightly, in contrast to his pallid hands, and he almost looked as though he were only sleeping and would awaken at any moment, despite the absence of his smile. But the flat-line on the heart monitor told otherwise, and Anzu felt tears spring to her shining eyes as a cry of anguish escaped her lips. "No! Yugi!" she shouted, falling to her knees, and burying her head into Yugi's chest, his skin unnaturally cool to the touch. "NOO!"_

_----End of Dream Sequence----_

10 rings.

Anzu shot up, tangled in the jumbled bed sheets that were half-on/half-off the bed, tears freely running down her cheeks as she awoke from sleep due to the combination of the constant ringing and the unpleasant nightmare that had haunted what had once been the bliss of dreams. She sat for a moment, trying to catch her breath and wipe the tears off her cheeks, but failing because of the steady stream that was still coming from her eyes. Suddenly, her blue sapphires widening, she turned frantically toward the small alarm clock that sat on a small dresser, reaching for it and pulling it close to her face, her heart beating against her chest.

8:23.

_Yugi…_she thought, uncaringly tossing the clock aside and grabbing for the phone that rested near the alarm clocks spot, hoping it wasn't the hospital with the devastating news she feared worst.

"Y-yes?" She asked into the phone, disguising her worry with only a few blunders, "T-this is Anzu Masaki. M-may I ask who's calling?"

_Finally,_ thought Bakura, a smirk playing across his lips as he lazily twisted the payphone cord in his fingers, nonchalantly leaning against the wall as though he had not a care in the world. "Hello, Masaki," he said, "It's been _so_ long since we've seen each other."

A gasp into the phone brought yet another sick smile to Bakura's face.

"R…Ryou…?" Anzu asked, a hint of hope in her now-quivering voice. Her breaths were coming in short gasps, her palms beginning to feel wet with nervous perspiration as her heart rapidly beat against her breast, causing a slight 'thump' sound to echo in her ears.

"Not exactly, fool," Bakura taunted, switching the phone over to his other ear so he could shift into a more comfortable position against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and the phone pressed against his ear with the aid of his shoulder. "I'm afraid itaike Ryou is…_resting _at the moment."

"T…teme(7)…" Anzu stuttered, unable to absorb the fact that Yugi's attacker was talking as though they had been friends forever. "Teme!" she shouted into phone, causing Bakura to involuntarily cringe a bit at the sudden noise. "Hiretsukan(8)! Jounouchi told me what you did! You took advantage of Yugi! You knew he wouldn't attack Ryou and you used it against him! How could you be so heartless?" she sobbed, her voice breaking at the last sentence.

"Baka hikari," Bakura scoffed, "Foolishly giving his life away to save his so-called 'friend.' Look what it got him-- a hospital room and a one-way ticket to hell!" he pulled away from the phone to angrily spit on a nearby plant. "I feel no sympathy for the gaki(9) hikari…"

There was a long silence, during which Anzu sat on her bed, unable to think of anything to say, and Bakura smirked as he unconsciously twirled the cord in his fingers, already lusting for the pain he was going to make her feel… _For the pain I will make _all _of them feel.._

"You killed him…" Anzu whispered after the silence, the words she had avoided saying and thinking coming out of her mouth without a second thought, tears falling from her azure eyes, though she could not remember them ever beginning to fall."You killed him…and that's all you have to say?"

"No…" Bakura sneered, his voice getting deathly low, "I haven't killed him yet, baita(10)…I haven't finished with _any_ of you yet… By the way…your little friend _Jounouchi_ is with me…"

Anzu widened her eyes, sensing the hints Bakura was dropping. "Wha…what are you doing to him! Let me talk to him!"

"Oh, I'm afraid that's impossible--for the time being, at least. You see, Jounouchi is…er…incapacitated at the moment. He and I had a nice little chat earlier, and I'm afraid he hasn't quite yet recovered. Both gaki Yugi and Jounouchi are in the hospital right now. In fact, I'm on my way to pay them a little visit…I already have in mind a few _games_ we can play."

"No…" Anzu quietly gasped, already knowing what Bakura was planning. "You're going to attack them…aren't you? You're going to try to kill them while they can't even defend themselves! Don't you have any emotions! How can go through with it, don't you have a shred of humanity left in you?"

"Foolish mortal," Bakura snarled, quickly switching over from a mocking tone to one of intense hatred, "Humans are the weakest of all creatures. They judge using their emotions instead of thinking of them_selves_ to get ahead--their most fatal flaw. And, of course…humans are the easiest prey to kill." He bluntly stated, once again adopting a carefree tone. "Which is what I'm going to have the pleasure of doing…you'd better come over here quickly… If you want to say goodbye, that it."

Click.

"B-bakura…?" Anzu confusedly asked the dial tone. "Bakura! NO!" She haphazardly threw the phone to the side, quickly jumping off the bed, yanking off her day-old clothes, and throwing on a pair of light blue pants that were on her dresser, and a pink shirt that was lying neatly on the floor. She sprintedto the door, not even bothering to run a brush through her hair, running out and expertly avoiding the objects that were scattered across the living room floor.

_Yugi…_she thought as she reached the front door, grabbing the cell phone that rested on the coffee table, _Jounouchi… Please…please be okay! Please don't die! _And with that, she rushed out the door, running down the street towards Domino Hospital. _Yugi...!_

_

* * *

_

Yay! Well, did I confuse you? In the beginning, I mean. I wanted ya'll to think: "OMG! What happened to Ryou!I mean--what the hell is Bakura doing! I mean--" I was going for a bit of vagueness here, so I hope it worked out. Anyway, I really loved writing this chapter, mainly because Bakura is so fun to make evil. I mean, he's such an asshole I can't help but love him! (huggles Bakura) (Bakura sneers) I also liked figuring out how to characterize Anzu. At first, I was unsure of how to make her feel and act, then it kind of came together, and I think I did pretty well for her character. Now, many of you probably don't like her, but I think she's a good character. Oh, and if any of you were wondering, I have no medical knowledge whatsoever. I completely made up all the crap in there, but I still tried to make it realistic soundng. I hope it doesn't show up how little I actually know about the subject...You know the 'revilalizer' thing I used. I meant that thing that doctors use to make people's hearts start again. It sends electricity to their heart, and jolts it back to life. I have no idea what it's really called, though. I'm sure I've heard it before, I just can't seem to remember... If anyone knows the real nome, please tell me so I can edit this and make myself sound smarter. (puppy-dog eyes) Anyway, thanks for stopping by and reading this, I hope it was worth-while. Oh, and to all you reviewers, my lj will be updated as soon as I find time to reply to all your messages. Thanks for caring! 

_**Reviewers **(in order of review): _

_Seers_

_yugirules_

_plutobaby494_

_qwertopip_

_XxXMe Need A LifeXxX_

_tai'sgirl23_

_C.B.A.-_ One quick not to you! Great minds think alike! I'll explain what I mean in my lj. Anyway, sorry for not e-mailing you! I haven't been able to do anything! He even took my CD player away! (curses under breath) I'll try to e-mail ya later! Love ya!

_**Notes **(all words in Japanese)_

_1) _'innocent' I was trying to find a work that meant 'innocent one', but there are like a million diferent ways to say 'one' and I didn't know which one to use. This isn't really anything important, I just wanted adorble Ryou to have a little nickname cuz he's so cute!

2) 'yes'

3) 'idiot; stupid'

4) 'light'

5) 'shit'

6) 'damn it'

7) A very rude way of saying 'you'. It's a cuss word.

8) 'bastard'

9) 'brat'

10) 'whore'


	12. Deception and Doubt

(meekly) H-hello... I'm sorry!

(begs) I am so so _sooo _sorry about not posting this up soon. Lately, I've been busy with school, and with writing little short stories of my own, none of them affiliated with Yugioh. I've only had enough time to review and read oter stories, but working on my own...

But! Yesterday, I finally got around to finishing the 12th chapter in _Memories_. It's not much, but I hope this makes up for all the lost time!

* * *

**Chapter 12: Deception and Doubt**

_----Back with Bakura----_

_----Domino Hospital----_

Bakura smirked as he slammed the phone down, laughing at the mental image he had of Anzu crying and sobbing like a helpless child. _Abazure(1)…that baita(2) is only good for bringing me the pleasure of watching others suffer…_he thought to himself as a number of coins dropped out of the phone. _Damn machine…why won't it just let me call without the aid of these useless pieces of metal!_ Still grumbling, he picked up a few pieces of change, slipping them back into the small slit in the machine, stopping only when about 10 coins were inserted. He picked up the phone, pausing for a moment before punching in the numbers, then leaned against the wall, a disgusting sneer on his face.

_Almost, baka(3) hikari(4)… Soon, you and I will be playing a…_game_ of sorts… But, not before I invite your friends. After all, what's a party with our guests? And your foolish other half…he will play, as well… Ano baka(5)…I think he will be the most fun to toy with… The once all-powerful Pharaoh on his knees begging for my mercy…_

One ring.

_Get ready, fool, today is the day you lose your life…_

_--------_

Honda sat in the darkest corner of his room, the shades drawn tightly as to not allow any light in the room. His knees were firmly pressed against his chest, his head bowed low, his eyes tightly shut, as if afraid of what he would see if he ever found the courage to open them.

But what was the point?

_How long have I been sitting here…? _He asked himself, not expecting an answer. It seemed like hours had passed since he had wandered home, ignoring the worried looks his parents had given him, before drifting up to his room and locking the door, trying his hardest to glide away from the tragedies of his life, and float into the grateful abyss of nothingness.

_Has it even been an hour?_ It seemed like he had been frozen in this position for hours; yet, at the same time, it felt as if he had just settled down. He mind was swimming with thoughts of anger and pain, but his body was too tired to do anything about them, to even pretend it cared. He felt as though a thousand years had gone by, but they had passed in about a second…maybe more, maybe less. He could head high-pitched chirps coming from the outside, and could even see shadows of clouds moving against the curtains…everything that had happened had did nothing to the world around him, yet his own world had crumbled…shattered into a million pieces. But…

_What does it matter…?_ Time ceased to exist in the pool of despair he had lost himself in. Seconds and hours, weeks and years, all swirled together into one horribly taunting reality, mocking his very sanity. Light and dark had merged into one mysterious dimension, leaving him swimming alone in a dark forsaken place, calling out for help…but no one came.

"God…why does it hurt so much…!" he moaned, throwing his head back and resting it against the wall, deep auburn eyes still tightly closed. "Please…just go away…" he whispered, addressing the ache that was churning in his stomach. "Why…does everything happen to us…why can't we just be normal people?"

The shout echoed off the walls and closed window only for a moment, but they seemed to continue forever in the tortured boy's head, slowly stealing his sense of reason and thought, trying to push him past the breaking point. As it faded away from his mind, he was brought back to the present, everything sounding mysteriously quieter than just moments before, as if the shout had lessened the volume of everything around it. Making it seem as if he truly was alone in the world…

One ring.

Honda's eyes snapped open, his pupils quickly and instinctively dilating due to the light that had seemingly forced it's way into the tightly shut curtains. His head fell forward, turning to face the source of the unwanted disturbance.

_Who's calling…? _For a moment, he considered going to answer the phone, but that thought was quickly replaced by another, more logical (to him at least) sounding one, _Maybe…it isn't real…_ He closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound of the phone, and every other sound that kept him from the bliss of the darkness. _How do I…how do I know it's even real? Maybe…maybe I'm dreaming…yeah…I bet I'm just dreaming, and when I wake up this'll all just be a horrible nightmare… _In the back of his mind, a quiet voice of logic was trying to tell him, _"Come on, baka! This isn't a dream, and if you had any intelligence you'd go and answer the phone to check up on your friends!"_

He chose to ignore that voice. _It's easier to just...drift away…_

Two rings.

_I can just…forget this is real…_

_----Back with Bakura----_

Bakura was getting impatient. _Kuso(6)! Why can't the bastards pick up! Well…they must be a bit…_tired_ from yesterdays antics. Too bad…that was only the beginning! _

Three rings.

"Hello?" Bakura smirked, glad that the phone had finally been answered.

"Hello, baka," he sneered, "It's been a--"

"Honda speaking. If it's Jounouchi--stop calling my house. If it's anyone else--and I mean _anyone_ besides Jounouchi--call me back later! Bye!"

_What the…! _Bakura thought, confusedly eyeing the phone, as if attempting to cause it to burst into flames. _Damn device! What are they called…answering machine, that's it. _He grumbled quietly, still eyeing the phone evilly. _Well, as payback I'll leave him a message he won't soon forget…_

_----Back with Honda----_

Three rings.

Honda stared into space, still intent on ignoring the phone call and forgetting everything that had happened the day before.

"Hello? Honda speaking." Said teen opened his eyes and snapped his head up, a bit surprised at hearing his own voice coming from the phone. He knew what was coming next; he had recorded that message after Jounouchi made fun of his crush on Ribbon(7) a while back. After he had ignored Jounouchi's numerous tries at an apology, Honda decided to let his message answer for him, instead of repeating the same thing over and over again. He had planned on changing it after he forgave Jounouchi, but it annoyed the blonde so much, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

To be honest it was…hard to believe he had ever sounded so happy…so carefree… It was…depressing, really… "If it's Jounouchi--stop calling my house. If it's anyone else--and I mean _anyone_ besides Jounouchi--call me back later! Bye!"

"Hello, baka," sneered an all-too familiar voice, dripping with venomous hate and scorn. "I've been waiting for you." The voice stopped for a moment, laughing a sick sort of snigger as if mocking the very world around him. "I'm about to visit your little pal Yugi, and that blonde fool Jounouchi. I'm surprised your not here…seeing as how it would be your last chance to see them…_alive_, anyway…"

"Hiretsukan(8)! What the fuck are you doing to them?" Honda had leaped up and frantically grabbed for the phone the moment he heard the Tomb Theifs voice, barely even realizing what he was doing. Instinct had kicked in, and the only thing Honda could think of now was how badly he wanted to kill Bakura. His eyes widened with an intense fury, and he felt as though something had burst inside him, erasing all the doubts and fear from before, leaving only anger and a lust for revenge in it's wake.

Bakura, however, merely laughed into the phone, not even flinching at the sudden burst of noise. He twirled the cord idly around his fingers, smirking at the teen at the other end of the phone line.

"Doing?" he asked rhetorically, "Why, I'm not _doing_ anything, yet, fool. I'm just waiting to see them so we can--"

"How did you get Jounouchi there?" Honda interrupted, his voice deepening and sounding darker and angrier, "That ketsuoana(9) isn't stupid enough just walk right into your trap…"

"Quite the contrary, baka," Bakura stated bluntly, "Because that is _exactly _what the idiot did." He paused and smirked at the mental image he was getting, "And now, he is waiting right next to gaki(10) hikari…he doesn't have much time left, you know. And, about little Yugi…well even without my 'help', the doctor's are saying he won't last long… One week at best, with the little brat slowly fading away from existence, his body and mind in so much pain he won't even awaken to say goodbye…but, of course, where's the fun in letting that happen? I prefer to do things myself…"

"Kutabacchimae(11)!" Honda, who had been to stunned and angry to form words, finally shouted. "It's your fault this happened! Everything that's going on is all because of you! If Ryou had never gotten that damn ring in the first place, none of this would have--"

"You think this is all my fault, do you, baka?" Bakura asked suddenly, cutting off Honda in the middle of his furious rant. "Oh…how blind you are…"

Honda, unable to grasp what Bakura was hinting, froze, glaring angrily at the phone even though he know Bakura knew nothing of it. "What are you talking about…?" he whispered finally, the anger in his voice still plainly evident.

Bakura smirked, casually moving to lean against the pay phone he was using, "Do you really think I was able to do this all on my own…? How could I, when I am nothing more than a spirit, unable to even exist without a vessel and the Millennium Ring to aid me?"

"Y-you did it before," Honda countered angrily. _Just what is this guy playing at…?_

"Would you shut up and listen you fool?" Bakura shouted, losing what little patience he had. "I don't work alone, you know…" the white-haired thief muttered after a moment of silence, his eyes planted firmly on the ground, shining with a mad glint of joy. "Since the beginning, there has always been a…_aibou_(12)…you might say… It was he who assisted me through my many attempts to send you to and early grave. Though, he didn't do it consciously, of course, but…the dark desires of his heart allowed me to fulfill my own…"

"What do you--"

"Ryou…" Bakura whispered, dropping so low that at first Honda thought he had been mistaken. "Ryou, you fool. Who else could it have been? How else would I be able to maintain this solid form?"

"Y…you're lying! Ryou…he's our friend! He tried to hold you back--but you kept coming back! He would never do that do us, never!" Honda was beginning to get scared… _He…he's lying…! He's lying!_

"Koitsu(13)…" Bakura muttered to himself, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. "Ryou was jealous of you…_all_ of you…

"_'Why should they be happy…?'_ I remember him thinking. And why should you? Always in your little group, always rubbing your complete bliss in his face while he wallowed in his own self-pity, constantly looking over his shoulder in case someone recognized him… He has quite the dirty little past, you know… Nothing you would ever expect from him…"

"Shut up…" Honda snarled, his fists dropping to his sides, trembling with anger and vivid intensity, "SHUT UP!"

"Hmm…it seems I've stuck a nerve with you, have I, boy?" Bakura laughed, his head now thrown back and gently resting on the wall behind him. "Or…is it just the chord of the truth you've so desperately tried to deny…?"

Honda narrowed his eyes, unsure of how to respond to the Tomb Thiefs' accusation while a flame of uncertainty began to burn in his heart.

"I better go, Honda-_kun_," the white-haired boy said mockingly, making sure to emphasize 'kun'. "The game is about to begin…you'd better get here quickly if you wish to say good-bye…"

"Teme…(14)," Honda snarled, barely able to breathe in his uncontrollable fury, "If you do _anything_ to them, I swear, I'll make you wish you had never been put on his earth…!"

"Fool…" Bakura said, his tone growing emotionless as his mauve orbs lost the sick glow of lust, "I already do… Good-bye."

"No! Wait-- you--!"

_Click._

Honda glared angrily at the phone, his mind working a bit slower than usual as it tried to grasp and place the events that had just taken place. _No…I won't let this happen!_ Honda hastily threw the phone off to the side, giving no second thought as to where it landed, and quickly ran out of the room, sprinting downstairs, not bothering to keep quiet as to not awaken his parents. He rushed to the front door, his body moving on it's own, and heaved it open, slamming it behind him as he darted down the streets of Domino, only one thought running through his mind…

_Yugi…Jounouchi… Ryou…I won't let that bastard get to you! I won't let anything happen to you, I swear!_

Revenge…

_----At Domino Hospital----_

"Um…Ryou, was it…?" a nurse called, slinking forward and cautiously tapping the boy on the shoulder.

"Y-yes, miss?" Bakura asked, his eyes glowing from tears secretly shed, a forced smile on his innocent face.

"Your friends are prepared for visitors…please, be quiet though. Jounouchi will be fine, soon, but Yugi…he needs all the bed rest he can get…"

"Yes, ma'am….and…thank you very much."

"It was my pleasure, Ryou. And…I truly hope Yugi survives this…"

Bakura mutely nodded, his eyes planted firmly on the tiled floor below.

The nurse nervously cleared her throat, then said, "Their room is #856; it's right down the hall. Take a left and it's the 2nd door on your right. I'll…leave you alone so you can…talk and stuff. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call." She turned on her heel, walking into a nearby patients room.

Bakura calmly walked down the empty hallway, his eyes now glowing with a malicious light. He quickly raised a hand and wiped away the false tears, proud of himself for being able to fool the baka nurse so easily. _I'm getting quite good at mimicking Ryous' persona, _the Tomb Thief thought,_ It's a good thing I've had so much time to practice…"_

He smirked as he strode down the hall, stopping in front of Room #856, his hand inches away from the doorknob. _Now it's time… Let the Shadow Game…begin!_

_

* * *

_

Hope it wasn't disappointing...sorry if there were any mistakes. Anyway,this is where things start to get interesting. Next chapter will be the confrontation between Bakura and Atemu, and I don't think anyone wants to miss that...

**Translations (all words in japanese):**

1) _bitch_

2) _whore_

3) _idiot_

4) _light_

5) _That idiot_

6) _shit_

7) _Honda's old crush. See Volume.1 of the manga_

8) _bastard_

9) _ass_

10) _brat_

11) _Drop dead, you bastard!; fuck you!_ (wonderful word, isn't it? )

12)_ In the Japanese version, Atemu's nickname for Yugi is aibou, which means 'partner.'Bakura is using it here as a way to piss off Honda _and_ mock Atemu. _

_13) 'This person.' Kind of like saying how can this guy be so stupid?_ (At least that's how I'm using it here)

_14)_ _An extremely rude way of saying 'you.' _

_P.S: Sorry for making the chapter seem longer than it really is, but you want to know awesome Japanese word, no? Anyway, thank you _so _much for all the reviews! Let's try to make it triple digits, 'kay...?_


	13. Confrontation

Oh my god...has it really been almost six months since I last posted a chapter? I'm so sorry! God, I'm the worst person inthe world, I deserve to be shot in the head...! Or, at least stabbed in the eye with a really hot french fry. Seriously though, guys, I'm really sorry I waited this long, there's no excuse, and I hope ya'll forgive me for being so late. So, I guess, without further adu, he is Chatper 13!

* * *

Chapter 13: Confrontation

_Almost there… _

_God, why won't my legs move any faster! Please don't be too late… Jounouchi…Yugi…_

_Please!_

The looming building of Domino Hospital came into view, a view known all to well by the sprinting youth. Upon the sight, he felt panic swirl in his stomach, realizing he had no idea how long he had been running or what time it was. A rush of adrenaline sprang into his legs, and in an instant Honda began to run faster that he could ever remember running, the sight of the front entrance greeting his as a cool drop of water greets a warm, swelling tongue.

With a burst of speed, he shot through the double-doors, hardly noticing the looks of shock that hospital personnel threw at him, too lost in his own worry to care about what they might think.

_Information…gah, where the hell is it!_

"Please, I need to see him! It's…it's a matter of life or death!"

_Anzu!_

A doctor with a look of apathy stood to Honda's left, speaking with his back turned toward him, his voice that of one who didn't wish to be there. "I realize that, miss. But, this is a _hospital_- that's not saying much here. And I apologize, but since you're not directly related to him, you can't enter his room while he's in these conditions; it's the rules.

"Please, can't you make an exception! Don't you care that someone might–"

"Anzu, is that you?" Honda suddenly called, now sure the voice of this girl belonged to his longtime friend.

_Honda…_

Hearing her name called, Anzu moved to look over the doctors shoulders, a cry of relief escaping her lips. "Honda!" she shouted, pushing roughly into the doctors shoulder as she ran into the boys' outstretched arms.

"Honda…" she whispered, tears beginning to leak from her stunning azure eyes.

"Anzu…" the boy said gently, trying to give her a bit of comfort. But there was little or no time for such actions, and, with urgency, he asked, "Are you here because–"

"Bakura," Anzu interrupted, a fierceness in her voice that Honda had heard on only a few previous occasions. Anzu pulled away from Honda, raising her head slightly so she could look into his deep auburn eyes. "Honda… Bakura, he–"

"He called you, too, then, didn't he?" he questioned, not needing an answer to know that he was correct. "Anzu…he's here."

"I know. That stupid doctor won't let me see them! Yugi and Jounouchi are…are going to _die_ if we don't get in there soon!" Her voice rose an octave and broke as she spoke the last sentence, unbidden tears flying faster from her cool blue eyes, though she made no attempt to cease their fall.

Honda looked away, unable to watch as his friend poured her heart out, an anger and fury he had never felt before coursing through his veins, making his fists tremble with vivid intensity. "He did this on purpose…" he whispered darkly, more to himself than anyone else. "He _knew_ we would come, and he _knew_ we wouldn't be able to get in… He's teasing us… He…he's fucking _mocking _us that there's nothing we can fucking do!" He had begun to shout, only vaguely aware that he had, not noticing the various stares that were coming from all directions as hot tears flew from his eyes and he trembled with rage and fear.

The silence that ominously lingered between the two lasted mere moments, neither of them sure of what to say at the outburst. Finally, in a whispered, frightened voice, Anzu said plainly, "I'm scared… Yugi and Jounouchi are…they're going to…"

"No…" the brunette said with a gentle, quiet force. "We've come too far…all of us. I –_we_– won't let them die." He stopped talking, closing his eyes in thought, then said, "Do you remember which room Yugi was in last night?"

"Um…856, I think. Why–"

"Because we're going to stop him." Without another word, he took her hand and began to lead Anzu down the hall, avoiding the doctor who had denied her entrance moments before and making sure to remain as unnoticed as possible.

_One way…or the other._

_----Back with Bakura----_

_----Yugi and Jounouchi's hospital room----_

"Hello, _Pharaoh_!" Bakura shouted mockingly, viciously throwing the door open and confidently striding into the hospital room, where Yugi lie listlessly on the bed nearest the door, Jounouchi lying in the one next to the younger boy, his long legs hanging off the end of the makeshift bed.

"Aw…it's so _quiet_ in here," the Tomb Thief remarked casually, taking a few more steps into the room and pausing a few feet before Yugi's bed. "Come now, you act as if it's _funeral…_!Though…it might as well be…" he sniggered cruelly, a dark, icy laugh that seem to come from the pits of his very soul, a laugh that held no more human emotion than that of a dogs bark.

"I know you're in here, Pharaoh…" he said, his tone switching from one of light banter to one of cold scorn. "Show yourself. Or has the all-mighty Pharaoh become spineless in one night because of his foolish hikari? Get over it; that gaki is just a stupid little boy who's more bark than bite. Besides, it won't be long before he–"

"Shut up," a furious baritone voice suddenly snarled, each word sharply emphasized so the phrase was as threatening as possible. "Hiretsukan(1)… Shut the fuck up…!"

"Seems I've gotten a rise out you, Your Majesty." Bakura smirked, turning in the direction of the voice. "And, to think, I didn't even expect you to answer."

The white-haired male watched, still grinning sinisterly, as a bright golden light began to flash from the Millennium Puzzle that rested by Yugi's bedside, filling the entire room with it's angelic aura, blinding him for a moment. He closed his eyes and unwillingly turned away, unable to stand the intensity of the glow, moving his arm up to block the light from his line of vision. A second later he sensed the light dim down, and he turned to where it had been just moments before, his deep mauve eyes flashing with an unrecognizable emotion as his smile spread even wider across his handsome face.

Standing before Yugi's bed, his tri-colored head bowed so his eyes were hidden by goldenrod bangs, was the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, in all of his radiance and glory. But there was something…_different _about Atemu, as Bakura was quick notice. Before, Atemu's posture was proud and intimidating, his lack of height made up for by his unflinching confidence; now, it was hunched and dreary, looking as if the slightest breeze would send him flying with little or no dispute. His outfit, normally clinging tightly onto his skin to reveal well-muscled abs and thin, strong legs, now hung lifelessly off his pallid skin, wrinkled and unkempt, as if no attempt had been made in fixing it. The Pharaohs' hands were held half-closed by his side, the once-strong fists limp and ashen, as if all the energy had been drained out of them. The person standing before Bakura was no longer a powerful, confident man– this person was a mere shadow of its former self.

"How _could _you…?" the baritone voice spoke again, clear and full of emotion. "How could you do this to him, when he's done _nothing_ to you…? All he tried to do was save his friend…" The tri-colored head raised, crimson eyes locking with mauve, the former void and empty, twin pits of grief and agony. "Don't you have any remorse?"

"You _dare _question me?" Bakura spat, eyes gleaming with fury. "You, whose ancestors betrayed and slaughtered my village, who mercilessly _killed_ my family for the power of darkness? Now you know how it feels…to lose everything it one night."

"How can you blame me," Atemu began, his voice remaining cool and steady, while the fires of rage danced merrily in his dark crimson orbs. "For something I don't even remember…? How can you attack _him_ for something he was never a part of! Tell me! Ketsuoanansi(2)! Tell me…" The Pharaohs' voice broke as he spoke the last sentence, and a single tear fell from his burning crimson eyes.

"Hn…" Bakura breathed, eyes cool hard. "How _can_ I…? I don't have to explain myself to you, _Pharaoh_. But know this: they were _all_ a part it. You, my vessel, your _partner_– all of them, whether or not they were there. They befriended you, and for that they must pay." the Tomb Thief remained quiet for a moment, as if in thought, then waved an arm to the right, a dark smile spreading across his handsome face.

"Even _him._"

Silence; Atemu's narrowed eyes glared at Bakura, then cautiously followed the pale finger that pointed directly to the right of him, his expression confused and unsure.

In an instant, crimson orbs shot open, filled with shock and terror as they gazed upon the motionless figure lying on the bed next to Yugi.

"No…" he whispered, mouth agape in disbelief, "Not you, too…"

With barely steady legs, Atemu stepped towards the hospital bed nearest the door, breathing deep and labored as though it were taking all of his strength to do so. He paused just before the young male upon the sheets, gazing at the figure with wide, unsure eyes, his crimson gems following the steady motions of the youth's chest rising up and down, fearful that if he looked away, the motions would stop, and he would once again be forced to endure the guilt that would come with the loss.

_Jounouchi..._

Jounouchi's normally kind, shining eyes were shut tightly, an expression of pain and worry contorted on his handsome features, blond hair hanging limply over his honey-colored eyes as though attempting to protect him from the horrors it knew would come. His head was turned slightly to the right, thrown back to reveal his lightly tanned skin, red blotches tainting the flesh with angry streaks of rage. The youths' fists were held half open by his side, as if reaching for something, waiting for someone to take hold of his hand and comfort him in his moment of weakness.

"Jounouchi-kun, I...I'm sorry," Atemu whispered under his breath, unable to bring any cleverer words to his suddenly dry mouth. He continued to stare disbelievingly at the unconscious boy, making no motion to move, his eyes beginning to glow fervently with the white-hot flames of anger, his fists beginning to tremble with livid intensity by his side. Then, breaking the silence that followed his soft, apology, he spoke.

"You bastard..." he murmured clearly, voice quiet, but holding an unflinching confidence that make Bakura's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "You...you fucking bastard! How can you do this to him– to us! How can you play with human lives as though they were worthless!"

Without thinking, hardly aware that he was doing so, Atemu stepped across the room, halting before the Tomb Thief's smirking form, reaching two balled up fists out and grabbing him by the collar, pulling upwards until Bakura's toes trailed across the ground and the Pharaoh had to raise his head even more than usual to look him in the eye.

"I won't let you get away with this," he snarled, his voice low and menacing, dripping with malice and rage. "I will make you pay...!"

Bakura did nothing as he was raised from the ground, allowed himself to be lifted without even attempting to defend himself. He continued to sneer mockingly down on the Pharaoh, enjoying the fact that he had received such a shocking reaction when he had expected Atemu to take it lying down, expected him to be an empty shell.

_It's so much more fun when they fight back…_he thought nastily.

Atemu, glaring furiously at the Tomb Thief before him, removed his right hand from Bakura's collar, never once breaking eye contact with him as he pulled his fist back and prepared to–

"Careful, Your Majesty," Bakura interrupted, just before the fist made contact with is face. "You don't want me to have to bring little Ryou out…do you?"

Crimson eyes shot open at the mention of the young hikari, his hand wavering at prospect of bringing harm to the boy his aibou had risked his life to rescue.

"You…" he whispered darkly, the lingering threat obvious in the undertone of his words. "Don't you–"

"Wait, Pharaoh." Bakura broke in with firm confidence. "It seems our guests have arrived…

"Now the _real_ game can begin…"

As he spoke, the knob jingled, and the white hospital door burst open.

* * *

Well, was it okay? I hope it was worth the wait, and if not... Anyway, thanks so much for still reading this and for sticking with me! And if no one's there...at least I got a chance to write for you at one point! I love you all!

(I'm not quite sure when I will post the next chapter, but I will try to make it soon. Please bear with me!)


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